After 'Ever After'
by brightandwild
Summary: What would've REALLY happened after Rapunzel had pulled out of that kiss, gone home and met her parents? Well, this story is my verison of making it all come together sensibly. The title has nothing to do with Tangled Ever After but is my own idea.
1. Aftermath

Everything had happened so fast.

The realization, getting chained to the wall, Eugene's arrival and stabbing, her haircut, Gothel's death...and Eugene's. And then his miraculous revival! Rapunzel had been filled with an overwhelming sense of relief...as well as grief.

She pulled back from the kiss, and stared into Eugene's brown eyes, letting them melt away her last nerve. All of what self-control she had left snapped, and while she seemed sort of far-off from reality on the outside, she was breaking new ground internally.

She ran a trembling set of fingers through what was left of her hair. Her head felt so light - was it from the final release of her massive length of hair that had dragged her down all these years, or was she going to faint? Black spots in her vision made her head feel fuzzy inside. Her mind, still recovering from the massive amount of stimulus she'd received in not only the past two days, but in the past twenty minutes, couldn't seem to stretch around all this.

Eugene's smile faded slowly as she tugged at her hair, sitting back on her heels. Her eyes darted around wildly - he knew she was probably frantic. She stood up, turning away from him, and with her free hand, she touched her cheek. It was burning up.

Her hair - her purpose - was gone. Her...mother, or whatever Gothel was, was gone as well. Sure, she had used Rapunzel since the girl was a year old to feed her addiction to staying forever young, but Rapunzel had loved Gothel as her own mother, even though the hag had held her back from her true self all these years. She was free now, but Rapunzel still was hurt. She didn't even notice as Pascal scaled her dress and settled into the crook of her neck, glad she was safe.

She dropped her hands and looked back to Eugene, who was getting up, still fumbling a little - he'd stopped breathing for at least two minutes, and that takes a toll on one's brain abilities, plus he still had a chain on his right wrist. He staggered over to her, getting his balance back, and took her hands. "Rapunzel..." he whispered, eyes worried. He'd never cared like this about how someone else felt, not even himself. He wanted to comfort her.

Her hands hung limply in his as she continued to stare off into space. Also, just to add more to this mess, she was a princess. No one had to tell her; it all made sense. Sure, most of it could be passed off as coincidence, like her resemblance to the Lost Princess and Queen in the mural, or even her birthday, but the suns she'd been painting were inexplicable. She had to be the lost princess. And Gothel had sort of half-admitted that she was.

But her real parents - the King and Queen, whatever their names were - wouldn't be able to see those suns, and what about her hair? Sure, there was an unmistakable resemblance between her and the picture of the Queen, and who else in the kingdom had such piercing green eyes? But Rapunzel wasn't convinced that they'd take her claim.

There were so many things wrong here, that could sent her world crashing down around her. Her mind raced, and it seemed that the room was spinning as Eugene let go with his left hand and stroked her cheek tenderly. "Hey...you okay?"

Speaking of crashing down...what about Eugene?

Her eyes dilated. He was still wanted. The guards were probably looking for him right now. How had he escaped? How had he got here? And how would they reach the kingdom, let alone enter the castle, without Eugene being caught and hung?

Rapunzel knew that Flynn Rider was little more than a mask he wore. Sure, certain antics had been embedded into his personality, perhaps forever, but his heart was different than what he showed on the outside. He'd only been Flynn Rider for a short time - he told her that he had escaped the orphanage at sixteen, ten years ago, and had been pursuing his dream of becoming Flynn Rider, the handsome rogue, ever since. That left many good years as Eugene still inside of him – more than half of his life. But how would a guard see that? A guard wouldn't know the difference between Eugene Fitzherbert and Flynn Rider, because on the outside, they were the same person.

Rapunzel put her hand on his, still on her face. "Eugene," she whispered, meeting his gaze, "there's something I need to tell you."

He cocked his head, troubled. Pascal climbed over her hand, down Eugene's forearm, and up to his shoulder. Neither of the two humans noticed the chameleon's activity. Rapunzel let out an exasperated sigh, and intertwined her fingers with Eugene's, and their hands fell down together. They held each other's hands tight, and Rapunzel dropped her head. Eugene leaned forward. "Rapunzel...what's wrong?"

The petite brunette burst into tears, leaping up and throwing her arms around Eugene's neck. He wrapped his arms around her, mostly because he wanted to comfort her, but also partially so she wouldn't strangle him.

He arm had just missed Pascal, who nestled himself in-between the embracing couple. Rapunzel's feet dangled a few inches off the floor as she cried into Eugene's shirt vest. After a few seconds, he heard a muffled sound coming from her lips, pressed into the nook of his neck. At first, he wasn't sure what she said.

"Rapunzel? I can't..." He shook his head lightly. "I can't hear you."

Her grip loosened, and she slid down him until her feet were on the floor. Her cheek mashed into his chest, she muttered, "I love you, Eugene."

The words struck him like a bat. He felt like he'd been kicked behind the knees, and almost fell over. He eased them into a sitting position, his knees pointing to the ceiling, Rapunzel in his lap. He stroked her silky chocolate hair. "Rapunzel," he mumbled, "It's all gonna be okay."

He paused, letting her wipe her nose on her hand, allowing her to look up into his eyes. "I won't tell you that you won't miss how things were. I mean, your hair, your power, your, um...mother." Rapunzel hiccupped. Obviously, he could tell that Gothel had simply been using her, and wasn't her true mother.

He continued, "Odds are, you will miss those things. But, if it makes you feel any better, I'll always...be here for you." She let her head drop back onto his shoulder. He looked like he was going to say something else. And, he did.

He stared contently into her eyes. "You'll always be my princess."

Several more tears ran down her cheeks, and her lips twisted. She shook her head, her shoulders rattling. He held her tight, his worried frown deepening. Tears and hair were smeared all across her face. She searched his troubled brown eyes.

"I am," she whispered. "I am your princess."

His worried look turned to befuddlement. "What...what do you mean?" he stammered. Rapunzel's grip on his vest tightened as his eyes went glassy, his mind searching for an answer. Her face had been serious as a stone. What was she talking about?

And then it hit him, like a slap to the face.

The lost princess.

Eighteen years ago, the Queen had been healed with a magic golden flower and had a child that bore the same golden hair. Seventeen years ago she'd been stolen, at the age of one. "A baby girl with long, beautiful golden hair and green eyes," he'd heard from the orphanage headmaster. "That shouldn't be too hard to miss."

So far, Rapunzel was the only girl he'd ever met in this kingdom under that description. And recalling the mural with the Queen holding her baby, the baby looked just like Rapunzel. Well, when she had blonde hair. But now...

It was as if he was holding the Queen in his lap. The taste of awkwardness filled his mouth. Those green eyes - the Queen's eyes - the hair, the magic...Rapunzel needn't say another word. He knew.

"Eugene, I'm the lost princess."

His eyes came back into focus. "I know," he said solemnly. And both of them collapsed into a huge hug, smashing poor Pascal between their chests. They squeezed their eyes shut tight, as if this were all just a bad dream and that they'd wake up in a fantasyland where they could just live happily ever after.

But this was reality, and Rapunzel had to be returned home.

Rapunzel stared blankly as Eugene picked the lock on his handcuff, the chain eventually dropping to the floor, the clang of metal against concrete echoing painfully through the tower. He smiled hopefully at Rapunzel, trying to get her to smile back. In a feeble effort she pursed her lips into a tight grin, and reached out for him. She took his hands in her own trembling ones.

"Eugene," she mumbled, looking around the room. It was a mess. Broken shards of glass and a winding dark snake of nearly seventy feet of hair littered the room. It was awkward for Rapunzel to look at something that had been such a big part of her lying dead and detached on the floor. "We can't just leave it here..."

Eugene tried to understand. He nodded, and walked over to the nearest length of the dark coil of hair. He gently lifted it. "What should we do?" he whispered.

Rapunzel looked around. As much as she had always longed to get out of here, she knew in her heart that she would come back someday. Her heart felt cold; she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. And then she made a decision as she looked up into the rafters where she'd always hang painting, her hair tied about her like the longest rope.

"Here," she whispered, gingerly taking the hair from him. She reluctantly took what seemed like a severed limb from Eugene and oh-so-carefully swung her hair up. It was harder now that it wasn't attached to her head, but after years and years of target practice, Rapunzel was still a professional hair-lassoer, if there was such a thing.

Once her hair was hanging all about the ceiling and just the shaggy tips where it'd been cut brushed the floor, Rapunzel took a deep breath, and let it out confidently, clearing her head of the fog. "Okay, Eugene," she said boldy. "I'm ready."

They held hands as they went down through the newly-revealed door in the floor, clibing down a short ladder to a dusty, spider-webby spiral staircase. Rapunzel thought deeply as they walked through the dark. Comparing her new life to her old, Gothel's false affection had been traded for Eugene's true, undying love for her, and her magical golden tresses had been turned to a normal brown, nearly the same shade as Eugene's. Everything was so different.

Trying to lighten the mood, Rapunzel joked, "I guess I should've questioned how she got in and out of the tower when my hair was too short for her to climb." Eugene laughed politely. "Yeah, but even if you knew you'd been walking on a way out this whole time, knowing you, you wouldn't have taken advantage of that anyways."

Rapunzel giggled slightly. "That's probably true," she admitted sheepishly, her mood starting to soften. "Plus, using my hair was much more fun than going down these stairs." Eugene felt a pang at his heart - she'd never get to use her hair again. She would always have to take the stairs.

They stepped over a crumpled pile of vines and flowers that had been torn away to reveal the exit, and entered the increasing sunlight. It was almost noon now, and the sun was climbing higher and higher into the sky. There was a slight breeze that balanced out the sun's intensity, and Rapunzel rolled up her sleeves. "Look, Eugene," she teased. "Now my sleeves look just as sloppy as yours."

He gave her a playful deadpan expression, and she laughed, beginning to skip off to the cave tunnel, feeling as light as air without her tresses to weigh her down, when she heard a whinny. Maximus, who'd been nervously pacing the perimeter this whole time and had seen Gothel fall, making him even more anxious, raced up to Eugene. Rapunzel whirled around and gasped.

"Maximus!" she cried, the tears on her face completely dried off now. She rushed at him with open arms, but he backed up nervously. He shot a look at Eugene like, "Who is this chick?" but when Rapunzel was close enough that he could distinguish her features, he saw those big green eyes, what made him ever trust her in the first place.

She looked just like the Queen.

As Rapunzel rubbed his neck and scratched behind his ears, Maximus cocked his head and grunted at Rapunzel, trying not to whinny in delight. He was seeming to ask Eugene, "How'd that happen?". She looked at her love, waiting for a reply for the horse. "Eh," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Long story. But Max, seriously, we need to get back to the kingdom. She's..." He looked at Rapunzel's wide eyes, then back at Maximus. "She's the Lost Princess."

Immediately, Max jumped back and looked her up and down quickly. She did look just like the Queen, but with shorter hair...and then Max rose on both legs and let out a huge neigh of excitement, and then galloped back around to Rapunzel, lowering into almost a bow, letting her climb onto his back.

Eugene almost laughed. He'd never seen a woman straddle a horse, especially not in a dress.

Max made Eugene climb up himself - no royal treatment for the bandit. As he did so, Rapunzel asked coyly, "So...is this how the great Flynn Rider managed to escape having his neck in a noose?"

Resisting the strong urge to make a very Flynn Riderish comeback, he rubbed the back of his neck instead. "Yeah, well, that and the fact that Max rounded up a couple of your pub friends." Rapunzel grinned as Max began to trot towards the cave. "What a good horsie," she cooed, scratching behind his ears.

While she fussed over Maximus, Eugene noticed the dark green cloak, spattered in ashes, lying nearby. With Rapunzel distracted, he quickly hopped off Maximus and dashed over to it and, though he dreaded to touch it, threw it into some nearby bushes, and then just as fast scrambled back to where he'd been sitting before. He didn't want her to see that thing...she'd probably start crying all over again, and she didn't really understand death, he figured, so it was definitely best to keep her focused on the positive.

"Now, off to the kingdom!"

And with that, Eugene put his hands around her waist gently as Max broke into a full sprint. "You might want to hold on," he advised with a laugh as she leaned back into his chest, a bit startled. She smiled up at him, her face full of anticipation, and they headed off to Corona to return the Lost Princess.


	2. Going Home

Max was determined to reach Corona by sundown. None of this stop-to-smell-the-roses-a.k.a.-visit-the-pub-thugs business that Rapunzel had suggested. He, Maximus, the Captain of the Guard's horse, had been part of the search party not only to find the flower to heal the Queen, but also to search for the Lost Princess. Hopefully, for returning her home, he'd be forgiven for helping the kingdom's most wanted escape prison and a hanging.

They weren't even halfway there when Rapunzel did, in fact, pass out due to overstimulation. That caused a slight delay in which Eugene had to settle her in his lap so she wouldn't fall off again...how do you think he discovered she'd gone unconscious? But either way, she was out cold, and even dirtier than before. As Max started off again, Eugene could help wondering if the King and Queen were going to buy into the fact that this was really their daughter.

Thankfully, Maximus was galloping so fast after that, that even if someone could tell that it was the infamous Flynn Rider hanging onto those reigns, they wouldn't be able to catch him or alert a guard before he was already a mile or more away.

As they went along their way, Rapunzel kept sleeping peacefully, and Eugene wondered why he was willing to die - twice - for the girl in his lap that he'd only known for two days. He knew that this girl, if anything, brought out the soft-hearted orphan in him. And that wasn't necessarily a good thing - what man wants to be known as a sap who'd be willing to wait on a woman hand and foot?

Once they'd finally reached the long stone bridge, stretching across the sea to Corona, Max stopped and looked back at his passengers as if to say, "You sure you want to do this?" Eugene nodded, indicating for the horse to go ahead. Max gave the ex-thief a halfhearted smile that read, "I'm proud of you." Rapunzel began to stir, and finally sat up as they were almost across the bridge. She smiled sleepily at Eugene and yawned, "We almost there?" Eugene nodded as Max picked up speed again.

Rapunzel loved the feeling of the summer breeze on her scalp, and was disappointed that she had missed most of the fast galloping while she was asleep, and they had to go slower now that they were in the kingdom.

Eugene wouldn't admit it to Rapunzel, but he was flat-out terrified. He half-wished that he'd brought Gothel's cloak to wear over his face, but then decided that him wearing a dead woman's cloak, especially since it had belonged to Rapunzel's sort-of-mother, would make that way beyond creepy.

Max, knowing all the streets, back alleys and shortcuts like the back of his hoof, led them down several alternate routes to avoid guards and even posters. They had managed to reach the great stone wall of the castle without any trouble at all before realizing that they couldn't march right up to the King and Queen...they couldn't even go inside the castle gates without a royal guard opening them. Who knows what kinds of crazy, heinous traps there were in there to protect the King and Queen from invaders anyways? Eugene wondered how Gothel had managed to get in there in the first place. The whole operation had been very cunning.

Eugene was smart and crafty, but he hadn't the slightest clue how to evade the best protection mechanisms in the kingdom. It had taken him all five years of his being a thief, plus the twenty-year experiences of the Stabbingtons, to concoct the plan for stealing the crown.

The Lost Princess's crown.

"Ugh," Eugene muttered under his breath, putting a hand to his face and squinting up into the sunlight at the tallest spire of the tower, where the King and Queen's chambers would probably be.

Hey, to plan the heist of a century, a guy's gotta get to know the inner workings of the place he's robbing, doesn't he?

Max whinnied as if to say, "Hey, standing her staring at this gate won't make it move; it's just going to spit out some guards to come take us on..." Eugene shook himself, clearing his head. He hopped off the horse, and helped Rapunzel down, who seemed to be in a state of rather cryptic, stunned silence. Perhaps it was because of the situation at hand, or possibly just because of the sheer size of the castle.

"Okay, Max. What now?"

Max led them to the older, original entrance doors at their right - the main doors, just behind the lantern terrace, were behind the gates, where they couldn't get to, but there behind some shadowy trees was another set of doors that were the originals.

The original doors were tall and wooden with intricate carvings of plants, flowers, animals and suns in them. Rapunzel broke her silence. "Hey," she said quietly. "That looks almost like the paintings on my walls." Eugene looked up blankly. They were very pretty carvings. He wished he'd been able to pay more attention to the paintings in her tower.

The doors, tall as they were, were slightly obscured by three massive trees forming a cool, shady grove that had a large fountain in it, surrounded by three concrete benches that looked big enough for three people each. It looked slightly unkempt, as if no one had taken the time to weed or water the flowers in quite a while, but then again, this was a long-unused part of the castle.

Max impatiently nodded towards the door. It was Rapunzel who eagerly stepped up, but Eugene grabbed her arm. "Wait, Rapunzel," he said quickly. "Are you sure...that you want me to be here? I mean, they might think this is like a scam or something; that I'm trying to trick them into money or something..." He didn't want to leave, but Eugene was fully prepared in knowing that this might be his last day on earth, last day of seeing Rapunzel...

Rapunzel smiled weakly. "I know you don't want to get caught," she said, ignoring his excuse. "But if I really am the princess they've been waiting for, then they'll listen to me." She paused, and he let go of her hand as she leaned in and gave him a soft, gentle kiss on the lips. She had recently discovered that this was a very intriguing thing to do - kissing on the mouth. It gave her a strange tingling sensation, but she liked it. Pascal, sitting on Max's head, covered his eyes and turned pink with embarrassment. Kissing on the lips was so weird!

"It'll be okay," Rapunzel whispered, mustering up her courage. And with that, she grabbed one of the brass handles on the door, heavy and round and as big as her head, and slammed it onto the wood three times.

And then they waited.


	3. The Captain of the Guards

When the huge wooden doors to the castle creaked open at long last, there was a very stunned and very grumpy Captain of the Guards holding a block of ice to a huge goose's egg on his head, his brass helmet tucked underneath one arm.

The helmet and block of ice dropped to the polished wooden floor, revealing where he'd hit his head after falling down from his smack with the frying pan he'd received from Attila, during Eugene's rescue from prison.

"You," he seethed, pointing a gloved finger angrily at Eugene, practically trembling with sheer hatred. The hero held up his hands defensively, starting to back away. "Look, pal-" Eugene began, but the Captain cut him off by grabbing him by his shirt vest. "You sickening, loathsome scumball," he hissed. "What the HELL is your PROBLEM!" His voice rose angrily. "You steal the crown, hijack my horse, and get me whacked in the head, escaping your ultimate doom just to come BACK? What the HELL in God's name is WRONG with you?" he bellowed, his ears pouring smoke and fiery flames dancing behind his eyes.

"Um, hi," Rapunzel peeped nervously from behind.

The bandit still in hand, the Captain spun around, nearly dropping him when he saw the girl. "Your majesty," he apologized immediately, bowing, the thief still in tow, his voice softening. Eugene held back from laughing by slapping a hand over his mouth with a grunt. "My apologies. I was just trying to teach this insane thief a lesson." He gestured to Eugene and his giddy expression. "Look at him; he's deranged, poor fellow. He was the one that escaped yesterday. Excuse me, best be taking him in to the prison..."

His voice faded as she began to giggle, her cheeks blushed. The Captain's brow furrowed deeper. "Your majesty...why are you knocking on the doors? And...the old doors! This entrance hasn't been used for years! And where is your crown? And shoes? And..." He paused for a moment, his face engulfed with befuddlement and his head shaking with utter confusement. "Did...did you get a haircut?"

Eugene snorted an amusing "Pfft" noise, and no one could any longer hold back. And with that, Eugene and Rapunzel exploded into laughter, letting loose of their anxieties. Even Maximus neighed in pure amusement and Pascal squeaked along.

The Captain dropped Eugene onto the cobblestones, kicking him. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded to know, his voice a barely-audible squeak of confusion. "What the hell did you DO to her? Get up, you filthy street rat!" Ignoring the kick and insults, Eugene wiped his eyes heartily, still cracking up. "She's not the Queen," he laughed, practically crying. "She's the...the Lost Princess!"

The Captain froze. Slowly, his mouth hanging ajar, he turned to look at Rapunzel, who had recovered much more quickly from the laugh attack than Eugene, who was still lying on the ground, rolling and bawling in hysteria. She held out her hand, something many kingdom-goers had done do to introduce themselves to her yesterday. "I'm Rapunzel," she said smiling.

The Captain closed his mouth, mustache twitching. He took her hand and shook it, still confused beyond belief. He wondered if he was dreaming, and considered slapping himself. "I was kept in a tower all my life - eighteen years, to be exact - well, I guess I was kidnapped when I was one or so..."

She bit her lower lip as the Captain dropped his arm. "Well, anyhow, I'd been watching the lanterns every year on my birthday, which was yesterday, and Eugene - I mean, Flynn - here ended up hiding in my tower from you and your guards a few days ago, and long story short, he took me to see the lanterns and I realized that I'd been painting the kingdom's sun this whole time and I told my mother, who turned out to not really be my mother, and then Eu-FLYNN cut my hair, which used to be golden and magic, and when it was cut the power died and so did Mother, I guess, and so I told him I was the lost princess and here we are."

The Captain just blinked, trying to retain an intelligent, calm air. Eugene sat up, wiping his nose on his sleeve, finally arising from his laugh-coma, and added, hugging his knees, "SHE'S the reason I escaped. Well, mostly." He gave her a wink, and she grinned good-naturedly. The Captain stood there, jaw hanging, looking from Rapunzel to Eugene and back again until his brain had finally processed the new information. He didn't say a word until another guard rounded the corner, and stopped short to see Maximus, the Captain, Flynn Rider, and the Queen with a haircut standing all together.

And then the Captain instructed the puzzled guard, "Carver! Take these two over to the Lantern Terrace immediately." He looked at Rapunzel once again with a new gaze in his eyes, clearly seeing the resemblance between her and the Queen. His voice seemed to quiver as he added, "And tell the King and Queen that their Lost Princess has come home."


	4. The King And Queen

After the guard, apparently named Carver, had told Rapunzel and Eugene to wait and had left the terrace, Rapunzel took Eugene's hand anxiously and led him to a small nook that overlooked the entire kingdom, the very place where for years and years her parents had launched a lantern for her. "Wow," Rapunzel breathed. "I can see everything!"

Eugene laughed - he had to agree that the view was breathtaking, possibly better than the one from the castle's roof above the throne room. This not only overlooked the kingdom, but the forest and the ocean. He laughed as Rapunzel tried to spot her tower, standing on her bare tip-toes. "The castle is higher than your tower," he explained. "If you couldn't see it, it couldn't see you." He held her hand and pointed out special places in the kingdom that they'd gone together, like the boat harbor, the central marketplace, and the library.

Rapunzel almost forgot that they were there to meet her parents - her _real_ parents - for the first time. And when she heard the faint sound of doors opening, she let go of his hand and turned around, a bit startled. Eugene turned as well, and recognized the faces he'd seen only in paintings, books, sculptures and murals - never up close.

The King and Queen ignored Eugene. The King lingered close to the door skeptically while the Queen approached her mirror image with shorter hair. For both of the royals, the news had been awkward - it had been a long time since any princess impostors had come parading around the castle, and never any so close to the Lost Princess's birthday. However, there was something different about this one, this girl.

No, the Queen couldn't explain the hair on this child. She'd given birth to a blonde. But her mother's intuition and the fact that the resemblance was uncanny told her that she'd found her baby girl at last. She released a sigh of long-held grief, and Rapunzel did the same, and they embraced.

They hugged each other tight, mother and daughter, reunited at last, and the King came up behind. His wife had never been so sure enough to make a move such as this about a "princess" before…was this his baby? When Rapunzel looked up from her mother's shoulder, and the King saw those eyes - his wife's eyes - he knew. The King let out a soft chuckle of relief.

The three of them fell into a huge hug, holding each other tight as if they were never going to let go. And then the Queen, eyes full of tears, reached her hand out to Eugene. He smiled at her grateful expression and took her hand, prepared to shake, when the Queen unexpectedly pulled him into the hug.

For a moment, he just sat there, stunned, smushed between the King, the Queen, and the Princess, and he didn't know what to do. Thieves are supposed to be prepared for anything, but most thieves never found themselves in this particular situation…but from somewhere from deep within his heart, something told him to hug back.

And so he did.

And after what felt like forever and a day, the Captain of the Guards, standing awkwardly, unseen in the doorway finally interrupted the moment, and everyone jumped and straightened themselves, except for Rapunzel, who remained sitting on the ground. The Captain's face was red as a beet. He couldn't believe what was happening here. _Rider? _In a group hug with the _royals? _

Why was life so screwed up?

The King cleared his throat. "Ahem. Yes, Captain? Did you…need something?" The Captain stepped forward, holding his rounded chin high. "Please excuse the interruption," he said, bowing his head. "Your Majesty, what are we to do with Rider?"

Everyone turned to look at Eugene, his eyes wide. He slowly looked down…what an idiot he was. Rapunzel frowned, climbed to her feet and went to his side, slipping her arms around his left bicep and hugging it tight. He kissed the top of her head, which he figured he probably shouldn't have done in front of the King and Queen, but he decided that by the look on the Captain's face that this was probably the last time he'd be with Rapunzel. Eugene whispered into her hair before he pulled his lips away. "It'll all be okay, Rapunzel. You're home now." He shook her off gently and walked forward, his eyes bleary.

Eugene held out his wrists, ready to be cuffed, and averted his eyes. "I'm ready." A slow smile crawled across the Captain's face, the ends of his mustache twitching up in vengeful delight.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the King intervened deeply, holding up his hands and crossing the terrace. "Now, I know that I ordered this man's death, and that he's committed many distasteful crimes in the past. However," he continued, his Eugene dropping his arms looking up at him with a gaze full of disbelief, "he returned my daughter to me. To us." He put an arm around Eugene's shoulders, and the Captain's jaw dropped as well as Eugene's. The King's other arm reached out to a very worried-looking Rapunzel, who was standing by her mother wringing her hands, and she quickly walked over to him. The King put his free arm around his daughter, and looked back at the Captain "And for bringing back the Lost Princess, I believe Mr. Rider deserves another chance."

"But your highness!" the Captain burst. "He's a _dirty, disgusting, despicable_ lowlife who deserves to rot in _hell!_" The King shot him a glare that could melt steel, and the Captain's face turned bright red at his sudden outburst, and he straightened. "I mean…what will the Court say?" he coughed. With a dismissive wave of the hand, the King said, "We'll discuss that later. But for now, Captain, you are excused."

The Captain grumbled, "Yes, your Majesty," but rebelliously added, "Fine, but I request that if there is any funny business that he is sent straight to the noose."

Eugene gulped, his eyes wide. The king looked his daughter's savior in the eye. "There won't _be_ any funny business, now will there be, son?" The ex-thief shook his head 'no' quite earnestly. "Absolutely _not_, sir," he said boldly. The Captain grunted. "Have it your way," he mumbled. The King grinned importantly. "I _will_ have it my way, thank you, Captain," he announced. The Captain was incredulous - he hadn't meant for the King to hear that…

"After all, I _am_ the King of Corona."

The Captain looked down, his face hot. "Yes, your Majesty." And with that, the Captain left.

The King removed his arm from around Eugene, and, with a squeal of delight that had been bubbling up inside her, Rapunzel leapt onto him, wrapping her arms around his chest. He staggered back before returning the embrace awkwardly…he didn't think that PDA with the princess was exactly the way to the heart of her parents. But he stoked her hair anyways, holding her close. He opened his eyes and told them, "There won't be any funny business, your majesties. Though I may not be, my intentions are noble. I promise."

Rapunzel pulled back to look him in the eye, and he returned her gaze. "And I never, _ever_ break a promise." She giggled as he added, "_Ever_."

The King and Queen shared a coy glance with each other before looking back at their daughter and the man she quite apparently loved. "I see you're quite fond of my daughter, aren't you, Mr. Rider?"

Eugene looked back up, and quickly but gently placed Rapunzel back on her feet, leaving one arm around her waist. "Oh, um, yes," he said quickly. "But, actually, um…my real name is Eugene." He winced. Telling one person was enough for him, but if he was going to become a new man and turn his life around, he was going to be a different person all together…the person he once was.

"Eugene Fitzherbert," he finished. Poor Eugene tried not to redden when the Queen snorted a little, covering her mouth with a dainty hand, her wedding ring glinting in the sunlight.

"Um, long story," he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. The King laughed heartily, clasping his shoulder. "I'd love to hear it sometime, son." The Queen smiled and walked towards the open doors. "Let's get you two settled," she said sweetly, her voice smooth as a silk scarf.

Eugene's heart skipped a beat. "Wait. You mean, I get to live…here?" The King and Queen laughed. "But of course!" Rapunzel's mother said, patting his cheek. "You're part of our family now!"

Eugene's heart stopped this time. He was part of a family.

And…it was the Royal family.

Who knew?

He felt overwhelmed with emotion. He wasn't going to die today - again. He was going to live with Rapunzel, in a castle. He was part of a _family_. Sure, there'd probably be some held grudges and hard times, and he knew that courting the Princess of Corona was going to be more of a challenge than a walk in the park, but despite all the high expectations, it'd be worth it.

Because he would get to wake up every day and see Rapunzel, every day for the rest of his life, and that was worth more than all of the jewels in the world, because Rapunzel's love was the greatest treasure of all.


	5. Settling In

The Queen showed Rapunzel to her room, while the King showed Eugene to his.

Rapunzel was amazed. Her room was twice the size of her old one _plus_ the size of the main tower room. It had smooth white walls, perfect for painting on, and tall ceilings adorned with a crystal chandelier. The far wall was lined with three huge windows as well as some smaller ones, and there were two walk-in closets and a washroom. The Queen looked on lovingly, trying not to let her eyes well up with happy tears, as her daughter explored the room, peeking in drawers, gazing at the view, and flopping onto the bed.

Rapunzel laughed as she sunk deep into the down comforter, the pale purple-and-white blankets smothering her. The Queen knew that her daughter's dirty dress was soiling the sheets and that they'd need to be washed, but she smiled anyways, not caring the least bit. All that mattered was that her long-lost child was home.

Rapunzel's head bobbed up from beneath the sheets. "Um, excuse me?" Rapunzel asked, unsure of how to address the woman. Everyone seemed to call her "your highness" or "your majesty" or "your grace", but Rapunzel wasn't sure if she was supposed to call her that. And she couldn't call her "mother" or "mommy"…those titles belonged to Gothel. It'd be too awkward to change now. She'd have to think about mother-names later.

The Queen walked over to Rapunzel, who sat up and swung her legs over the side of the fluffy bed. She sat down beside her daughter and folded her hands in her lap. "Yes, Sweetheart?"

Rapunzel smiled. She liked the nickname much more than 'pet' or any other name Gothel had called her, though she would admit she liked being called Flower. She wrung her hands. "Um, I was wondering…could I…paint on my walls?"

The Queen laughed out loud, pulling Rapunzel to her feet and gathering her daughter into her arms. At least she hadn't lost the sweetness of youth. "Whatever you want, Sweet Pea. This room," she continued, motioning around her with one arm, the other around Rapunzel's shoulders, "is your domain. It's all yours - do what you wish with it." Rapunzel grinned and hugged her mother. "By the way," she asked, her face buried in her mother's shoulder, "what's your name?"

"Josephine," the Queen answered promptly. There were a lot of basic facts that her daughter would sadly need to catch up on. "And your father's is Harold." She paused. "What's yours?"

Rapunzel froze. She pulled away, holding her mother back by the shoulders, her eyes troubled. "Y-you don't know _my _name?" she stuttered. The Queen frowned. "Well, unfortunately, no. I suppose you didn't go by what we named you, assuming the person who…well, took you, didn't know your real name."

It had never crossed her mind that 'Rapunzel' might not be her real name. But it did make sense…everything she'd known to be true was a lie. Why wouldn't her name be? "Well…what did you and Father name me?" she asked worriedly.

"Rapunzel," the queen sighed. She loved that name. "Like the rare spiked white flower that's native to our kingdom."

Rapunzel let out a breath of relief. "Good, then," she said. "She must've knew somehow. I _am_ Rapunzel." Both Queen Josephine and Rapunzel were glad that she'd been going by her real name all this time. "So, I'm named after a flower? Then perhaps that's why Mo- I mean, Gothel, used to call me that."

The Queen stiffened, her green eyes incredulous. "The woman who raised you called you 'Flower'?"

Rapunzel nodded, sitting back down on the bed, patting the blankets beside her for her mother to sit next to her. She sighed as she remembered the woman who'd held her captive for all those years. "Yes. Her name was Gothel. She used me…I guess she stole me because my hair had the power to heal the sick and injured when I sung a special song, and she wanted to stay young forever. I know its weird, but it could. It can't anymore, though…once it's cut, it turns brown and loses its power, so Eugene cut my hair to free me from her. And now she's…"

Rapunzel's gaze fell, and she stared at her hands in her lap. "She's dead now."

Queen Josephine thought this over, letting the new information sink in. That would explain Rapunzel's different hair color, she supposed…but, wait. Had her daughter inherited the healing power of the magical Golden Flower that she, Josephine, had sipped to save her life as well as Rapunzel's?

"Rapunzel…do you know what a flower has to do with all of this?"

She looked up. "I was named after a flower." Josephine's eyes widened, her heart pounding, and shook her head no. "Dear, when I was pregnant with you, I got sick. There was a magical flower that had those same abilities, to heal, and I drank a potion made from that flower. And then I had you, and you had long golden hair."

Queen Jospehine paused, taking a moment to connect the dots. "I bet that the woman who raised you…Gothel, you said? I think that she had been living for a long time off of that healing power, and when I was healed with that flower, she was so angry that she was going to take you away. But I think she sung the Healing Incantation and was rejuvenated by your hair, and so she took you."

Rapunzel nodded, understanding but hurt, following her mother's assumptions. "But she tried to cut my hair first," she noted softly. "And it died and turned brown, so she took me away." The princess paused, remembering her childhood. "Because of its power, I guess, my hair always grew really fast. It was about seventy feet long before it was cut - I spent a whole day measuring it once," she said. "So, even though the brown hair grew a lot slower, Mother Gothel used to always keep cutting it short so you couldn't see it."

Josephine shook her head. "My poor baby," she whispered, hugging Rapunzel. "Why couldn't we ever find you?"

Rapunzel sighed, hugging her mother back. "Well," she explained, "Mother Gothel kept me in a tower hidden away from the world. I couldn't go outside, and the tower was in a deep ravine, so I couldn't see much of anything." She took a breath, recalling watching the lanterns floating on her birthday each year. "But when Eugene hid in my tower, I finally got the courage to leave with him, because I wanted to see the lanterns." She looked up at her mother, her eyes grateful. "The lanterns you released each year on my birthday."

The Queen's heart soared. "So…all those years, you were watching?"

"Well," Rapunzel answered, "I used to look out my window at night to observe the stars, and when I was three years old, I noticed the lanterns. So I kept coming back to the window at night looking for them, and I saw them again the night I turned four, and so I figured that they only came on the night of my birthday. I felt a connection to them, like as if they were meant for me…and now I know they were."

Rapunzel smiled grandly at her mother. "Your lights guided me home."

Josephine laughed and drew her daughter into a hug once more. "And I am ever grateful that we waited for you," she whispered. She then pulled away and sighed, "Well, I better go check on your father. I hope he's treating Eugene as a guest, not a prisoner," she laughed. Rapunzel's eyes widened as the Queen left the room. The newly found princess certainly hoped so too.

- X -

The King awkwardly opened the door to Eugene's room, directly below Rapunzel's, revealing a slightly smaller and less extravagant room, but bugger and more elegant than anywhere Eugene had ever stayed in his life, though the list of places he'd stayed was almost as long as the number of things he'd stolen, lists that extended to a number not even the Royal Mathematician could count to.

Eugene cautiously stepped inside, as if he expected it to be full of booby traps. This place was too good, all bright and well-decorated, for a former thief to call his own. The King watched curiously from the doorway as his daughter's rescuer, the infamous bandit, slowly inspected the room. Just as Rapunzel had done, he checked the closets and dresser drawers, but instead of with excitement, he did it warily with an air of suspicion. He and the Lost Princess were both out of there element here - but pretty much anywhere Rapunzel went would be unfamiliar to her for quite some time, since the only place she'd ever known was her tower. Eugene, however, had been apt to being nomadic - for the past five, almost six years, he'd traveled all over the place, running from commitment of any sort, from kingdom to kingdom.

Flynn Rider sought fame and fortune throughout his travels, but the part of him that remained Eugene Fitzherbert always returned back to Corona. It was his home, yes. But its castle? Eugene couldn't help but feel that, as much as he'd always wanted to live in a castle, that he didn't belong here.

He looked around the room at the polished marble floor, chandeliers and walk-in closets. He _didn't_ belong here. But he did belong with Rapunzel. And because of that, no matter how long it took for him to become accustomed to living in the palace and courting the princess, no matter if he never fit in, no matter how much work it might take for him to gain her parents' approval, he'd do it.

He'd do it for love.


	6. Screw Ups

During the next seven days, Rapunzel and Eugene were whisked around the kingdom in a flurry of dances, meet-and-greets, contests, explorations, and introductions. It all happened in such a blur that on the eighth day, after the celebration of the Lost Princess's return was over, neither of them could remember much of it, even if they'd had the energy to. Even Rapunzel, who had seemingly boundless energy, was utterly exhausted from overstimulation.

They spent nearly the entire day resting, lounging around Rapunzel's room. The only people they came in contact with other than each other were King Harold and Queen Josephine at mealtimes, and the occasional servants that would come in with a message for Rapunzel from her parents or a small task to do, such as changing the sheets or delivering fresh paints and brushes for Rapunzel. Other than that, for the most part, they were left alone to rest up, for lessons would start in the morning.

Rapunzel had acquired a vast collection of new dresses from the Royal Tailors within the past week they'd been living at the castle, all tailored to fit her perfectly, and she insisted on Eugene seeing them all.

"Y'know, Blondie," he began, using the nickname that only they would understand as he helped her lace up the back of her bodice. "You don't have to try them all on today. I'm bound to see you in all of them at least once." His hand accidentally brushed the bare skin on her back as he tied the ribbons, and a slight shiver ran through her body. _God, her skin's soft…_he thought to himself. He had to literally hold himself back from beginning to massage her shoulders, letting her lean back into his chest…

He snapped back into reality. "I know," she said perkily. "But I want you to be the first one to see me in them." He snorted, dropping his hands, and laughed, "Alright, let me see this one."

Rapunzel climbed up onto the coffee table they were using as a makeshift runway, and when she turned to face Eugene, his heart stopped.

The thief couldn't seem to catch his breath. It was a dress much simpler than the rest, but much more seemingly elegant and…sexy. He was halfway angry at the tailors for making it, because Rapunzel was so sweet and innocent, the red silk dress she was wearing seemed much too old for her. But he was also secretly pleased to see her wear something so grown-up. The scarlet color of the dress made her green eyes pop, and made her lips look redder. It showed her shoulders and was on the low-cut side, and there was a thin slice in the dress that led halfway up her thigh, and the hemline stopped just above the floor. The sleeves, neckline and hem were edged with white lace, and the ribbons to tie the bodice up in the back were white as well. The silk glimmered in the sunlight that filtered into the room, and the dress was so well-fit that it really accentuated her curvy figure.

And with that, Eugene Fitzherbert found himself staring.

Rapunzel gave him a confused look. "Eugene?" He didn't answer. All he could think about was how _good_ she looked, his testosterone levels raging. "Eugene." She waved her hand in front of his face. "Eugene, blink!"

He came back into reality with a start. "Oh! Um, you look…" He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, his face and chest burning, but cold blood flowing through his veins as he searched for the word. "You look beautiful."

Rapunzel's befuddled gaze melted into a warm smile and she giggled. "You don't think I look too…old?"

"No!" Eugene blurted, holding his arms out, immediately retreating. "Um, I mean, you look great. No, not too old. Gosh, no!" he blubbered. "Here," he offered, helping her down off the table and starting to carefully untie the back of her dress. "Why don't you, uh, get into some regular clothes, okay?"

He finished untying, Rapunzel held up her loose dress, turning around to face him. "Okay."

She found herself only inches away from his face. Rapunzel suddenly found her heart pounding wildly, blood pulsing through her lips. Eugene looked over her face, thinking how lucky he was to have her, to be able to be here right now. He leaned in towards her, his eyes foggy and breath hot on her face.

Chills shot down her arms as he mumbled, "Rapunzel…" His lips were inches from her own when she suddenly ducked under him, coming back up on his other side and backing away from him. "I'm…gonna go get changed," she said quietly before turning and running across the room to her larger closet.

Once she was inside, Eugene sunk into an armchair, burying his face in his hand. "Ugh, God," he muttered. "I am _such_ a screw-up."

He hand his hand over his face, and then he opened his eyes, and, as he peered through his fingers, there was Rapunzel.

"GAAHH!" he yelled, jumping backwards. However, he forgot that he was sitting, and in the efforts of jumping backwards, he fell, taking the chair down with him.

"Eugene!" she squealed, rushing over to him. "Are you alright?"

He quickly climbed to his feet. "Fine, fine, never better!" he assured her all too quickly, clambering up and setting the chair back in place, then leaning against it. "Are…_you _alright?"

Rapunzel gave him a deadpan expression. "Eugene…" "No, seriously." His tone changed. "What was that all about back there?" He pointed his thumb to the coffee table. She blushed deeply, tucking a dark strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't know," she admitted. "I got…nervous."

Eugene couldn't help but smile. She was so cute. "It's okay," he said, reaching for her hand. "I…I crossed the line." She smiled back, her green eyes shining, but then they faded, and she looked down. He cocked his head, frowning. "Rapunzel…what's wrong?"

She shrugged. "Mmm, I dunno." Rapunzel paused for a moment, and looked up at him. "What's a screw-up?"

Eugene's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "It's a bad thing, right? Why did you call yourself that?"

He sighed, and led Rapunzel over to her bed. They sat down, side by side, and Eugene began, "Rapunzel, you're a great person. And I just can't help but feel…hmm." He looked away, hating talking about his feelings. He sighed loudly, throwing his arms up in frustration, and quickly said, "A screw-up is kind of like someone who always messes everything up, and quite frankly, I feel like I'm messing _you_ up."

He leaned his elbows on his knees, turned away from Rapunzel. _She' sjust too good for me, _he thought. _I don't deserve her. I've always been a screw-up, and I'll always be one._

Rapunzel felt distraught. "Eugene, you're not a screw-up," she sighed, trying to reassure him, patting his back. "You aren't…messing me up. You're teaching me things. New, wonderful things! I've already learned and seen so much…" Rapunzel took his hand in both of her own, forcing him to look back at her wearily.

"I think we all feel like screw-ups sometimes," she began. "I blame myself for your…death, as well as Mother Gothel's, and for my parents' sadness." He opened his mouth to object, but Rapunzel held up a hand. "Wait," Rapunzel said sternly but sweetly. "I'm not finished. I feel responsible," she continued, "but I know it's not _really _my fault. I know I'm not a screw-up. Because," she finished, putting a hand to his cheek, "if I was a screw-up, I wouldn't have you."

Eugene placed his hand on top of hers, smiling goofily. "You know, Rapunzel," he whispered, "I'll be honest with you…I've been with a lot of girls in my life, but to me, you're not just another girl." Rapunzel smiled warmly. "And why's that?"

Eugene smiled deviously. "Because you're a woman."

Rapunzel snickered, and Eugene captured her lips with his own. After a moment, she pulled away smiling, still clinging to his vest. "Hey…you wanna know how my hair glowed?"


	7. So Much For A Schedule

Eugene was, least to say, overwhelmed.

Honestly, Rapunzel was the one with a full schedule, in and out of the palace and lessons all the time, but wherever she went, she dragged him along in her excitement through everything she did. And whatever they were doing, he always felt like he was doing it wrong, but there was always his brown-haired Blondie cheerfully stumbling along with him every step of the way.

Some aspects of her naivety were ignored throughout her activities, such as leaving the castle in only her petticoat and frock or eating with her fingers at the dinner table – everyone loved Rapunzel just the way she was, and those who worried knew that they were cute phases that would eventually pass. Still, there were many more serious things that applied to royal life that she just didn't seem to get.

Even though she was used to a schedule jam-packed full of activities, her past life in the tower was freewheeling and concocted simply to keep her from dying of boredom. Here at the castle, everything was new and exciting and important to Rapunzel, and her long list of specialized professors didn't understand that. A full schedule was good for the new princess to help her get accustomed to her new lifestyle, but an inflexible one was not. Rapunzel had her lessons at certain times throughout the day that should not be missed – not that she'd be punished for skipping – leaving her less than adequate time for exploration and free time on most days.

Eugene had a few courses that he had to attend, being that he wasn't exactly proficiently educated and free education was one of the "perks" that came with living at the palace. However, he was pretty much free to do as he pleased, which often involved either following Rapunzel around or sneaking her out of class.

Rapunzel had asked her parents one week for an extra rest day – Saturdays and Sundays there were no lessons – so she had promised Eugene that she'd spend the entire day with him, which happened to be a Friday. All week he'd looked forward to a day of relaxing, doing absolutely nothing but hanging around with his one true desire.

Eugene knocked softly on her bedroom door around eight o' clock, unsure whether or not she was awake yet. "Come in!" she called cheerily, and he shook his head, amused, figuring that he should've know that she was awake and probably had been for hours. He was still in his pajamas.

He opened the door to see her at the far end of the bright room, sunlight bouncing off the white walls now adorned with several paintings. Rapunzel stood atop a ladder, balancing on one foot as she dipped a brush in a canister of paint that sat upon a rafter. She turned to look at her visitor and exclaimed, "Oh, Eugene!" With a big grin, she left her brush in the canister and clambered down the ladder, two paintbrushes stuck behind her ear bobbing along with her spiky brown hair as she did so. Eugene walked across the room to meet her halfway, chuckling at her green dress and muslin apron, both covered in several splotches of multicolored paint.

"I'm glad you're here. I just finished this," she announced proudly, sweeping a paint-covered arm towards the once-empty wall next to her bed. His eyes focused on the new mural as he walked over to it for a better view, Rapunzel following him closely behind, bubbling over excitedly to see his reaction.

Eugene caught his breath. It was a beautiful, vibrant rendering of the two of them dancing at the lantern festival, surrounded by townspeople, flowers and flags bearing the kingdom's emblem. "It's…amazing," he breathed sincerely. _She_ was amazing. He remembered that day with the utmost clarity, the two of them dancing around as their troubles melted away and they wound up in each others' arms, only a breath's wisp apart…

"You…want to help?"

Eugene's mind snapped back into reality with a start. "What?" He looked back at her dumbly, and she giggled, enunciating as she pointed a paintbrush at the wall with one hand on her hip, "Do-you-want-to-paint?"

He held up his palms in rejection. "Whoa, whoa, sorry, Blondie, but I don't paint." Rapunzel smirked at Eugene, carefully raising a playful eyebrow – an action she'd picked up from the master himself. She shifted her hips. "Just like you don't sing?"

Eugene gave her a look. "I'm serious, Punz. It's not like its too un-manly or something. I just…" He paused, scratching his chin, searching for the right words. "I'm artistically challenged."

Rapunzel laughed. "Oh, Eugene, you can be so funny sometimes." She handed him a paintbrush. "Just give it your best shot."

He sighed and eyed the wall as if it pained him to look at it. "Alright, but if I mess it all up, let it be on _your_ conscience."

She chuckled and climbed back up the ladder, fetching Eugene a few canisters of paint from the rafters. He decided that if he had to do _something_ to make her happy, then he'd stick with something simple – a flower couldn't do any harm, and there were plenty of those already so it wouldn't really stand out.

While he painted, Rapunzel busied herself by thinking of names to call her parents (something she'd been pondering a lot lately) and bathing a rather paint-covered Pascal. When she came out of the washroom with the sparkling-clean chameleon, she bent down next to Eugene, putting Pascal on the floor and placing her hands on the kneeling man's shoulders.

"Oh, _Eugene_," she enthused overdramatically, "That is the most _beautiful_ flower I've ever _seen!_" He turned a teasingly deadpan expression on her. "Thanks," he jeered sarcastically, dabbing a spot of orange paint on her nose. He couldn't help but notice how the color brought out the green in Rapunzel's eyes, which she rolled smilingly. Eugene leaned towards her slowly, and the brown-haired princess's heart fluttered as she found herself doing the same…an action she'd found herself doing more and more frequently.

Pascal, watching them intently, blushed a deep pink and covered his eyes. Rapunzel had come to find touching lips normal, but he still thought it was awfully weird. Just as their lips were about to touch, there came a knock at the bedroom door.

Rapunzel sighed, leaning back to sit upright and opened her eyes. "Coming!" she called, deprived of enthusiasm, and gave her beloved a look before she stood to say, "It never ends!"

The princess opened the door to reveal the somber faces of her parents. Finally having come up with a good set of names for them and dying to try them out, Rapunzel threw her arms around her parents. It felt so good to have everything make sense for once in her life; to have people she felt she belonged with. "Mama, Papa!"

King Harold and Queen Josephine hugged their daughter back tightly, as if they never wanted to separate from their newly-reclaimed child, but still managed to shoot each other sad smiles over their daughter's head. Upon pulling away and seeing their gloomy dispositions, Rapunzel began to frown and wring her hands, worried she'd done something wrong. "Is…everything okay?" she asked cautiously.

Observing from where he now stood by Rapunzel's canopy bed, Eugene crossed the room and put his hands protectively on her shoulders. The King and Queen exchanged yet another wary glance. Queen Josephine muttered, "Do you want to tell them, or should I?"

Rapunzel's first thought was to exclaim, "You mumble, TOO?" However, her parents' obvious melancholy put her down. "Tell us what?" she peeped, eyes troubled, halfway not wanting to know the answer.

The King sighed, trying to hold back his emotions, and took his wife's right hand in both of his own. "It's about Eugene," he began. He paused, his frown deepening, and the Eugene's first thought was that the King was going to say that Rapunzel could only court royalty, even though the obvious reason why her parents were there should've been staring him right in the face.

"Well, more so about Flynn Rider."

Eugene's heart stopped, and his stomach fell to the floor. The sound of blood roared in his ears, and he wanted to bury his face in his hand in embarrassment. What an idiot he was, letting himself fall into this dreams-come-true nonsense the Rapunzel had pulled him into. The cold shock of reality settled over him; Eugene had just been chasing down another daydream by pursuing a life as the princess's boyfriend, living it up in a castle without having to face the consequences of his past. His brown eyes averted themselves to the ground in shame.

Rapunzel immediately seemed perturbed, and came to her love's defense by putting her arms around him and tried to convince her parents that the thief no longer existed. "But he's changed, Papa," she assured her father. Turning to her mother, the princess said, "Remember how I told you that Eugene cut my hair off to save me? Well, I didn't exactly tell you everything."

King Harold's eyes shot up – he'd heard the story retold by his wife, but there was more to it? What kind of life had his daughter experienced in the past month before her return home?

The girl who had spent her life locked in a tower recalled the last time she'd been there with far too vivid memories. She took a deep, shuddery breath, remembering the woman she'd once thought was her mother stabbing the man she loved. "You see, I realized that I was the princess, so Gothel was going to hide me away in a secret passageway in the floor of the tower. But Maximus – you know, the Captain of the Guard's horse – went and got some men to help Eugene break out of prison so he could rescue me. When he got to the tower, she…"

Rapunzel's voice faltered and she took a nervous gulp, letting out a small sob. "She stabbed him."

Her parents looked wide-eyed with worry at Eugene, who wrapped his arms around her tighter, closing his eyes. "Rapunzel, you don't have to do this," he murmured, her pain seeing into him. "No," she objected, her green eyes full of tears. "I do."

She mustered up her courage and continued. "I promised her that if I could heal him, I'd stay with her forever. But Eugene wanted a better life for me. So…he cut my hair," Rapunzel choked, tugging at a short brown lock, "to save me from her. And he died." She hugged Eugene tighter, water squeezing out between the slits of her eyes.

"Flynn Rider died, but the last little bit of magic in me brought Eugene Fitzherbert back to life."

King Harold and Queen Josephine looked incredulous until the King loosened his stiff shoulders and let out a long, slow, breath, a single tear sliding down his cheek. Rapunzel opened her wet eyes and looked at her father, and when she saw the glistening streak of sadness on his face, she let out a sob, and removed her arms from around Eugene and threw them around the King.

He held her close. "I know, dear, I know. And you know – both of you – that for bringing you home, I love your Eugene as I would my own son, no matter what his past. If it were up to me alone, we could all move on pretending that Flynn Rider never existed." King Harold's expression was even more painful than before as he added, "I'm not the only one who has a say in his judgment, though."

Rapunzel was more than baffled. Her damp face twisted in confusion. "Then who else does?"

"The Royal Court of Corona."

The King's words were like a stab to Eugene's stomach – a feeling he was all to familiar with. He could feel the color drain from his face as Rapunzel's head whipped around to look at him, her glistening eyes even larger than usual. They burned his face like dry ice; the ex-thief turned away to stare blankly down the corridor abashedly.

The princess turned back to search her father's petulant blue gaze, digging her nails into his sleeves. "But what does that mean for Eugene?" Rapunzel whispered. Was this…court of Corona going to try to take away her Eugene?

She dug her nails deeper into her father's arms as anger flared up inside her. _Never._ They'd have to go through her _first._

King Harold let go of Rapunzel with one arm to stroke his beard thoughtfully, trying to explain a complicated thing as simply as possible, and she pulled away from him altogether, backing away into Eugene's arms, which welcomed her gratefully. "Well, aside from my rulership, there's also the Royal Court of Corona, which is a jury, or a group of nobles from around the kingdom, that speak for the citizens and their opinions on judicial matters. Shortly after your homecoming," the King continued, "we had a meeting, and apparently, most of the representatives agree with the citizens that Eugene – well, Flynn Rider, in their eyes – should be tried for his crimes."

Though she did have a class on Coronan Law and Judicial System, Rapunzel knew next to nothing about trials. She'd have to look it up in her lesson book, but she knew that this was not good news for her Eugene.

Rapunzel turned into Eugene, burying her face in his chest, grabbing at his vest with her tiny fists. This was no good. "And?" he croaked, holding his princess tight, letting her warmth seep into his strong arms and give him the comfort that he needed. Eugene had to know that everything was going to be alright; that Rapunzel was going to be alright. He swallowed the knot forming in his pharynx, holding his chin higher, trying to have at least a little dignity. Pascal crawled up onto him and nestled in his hair worriedly.

The King cleared his throat. "Your trial is scheduled for Tuesday."

- X -

"_TUESDAY?_" Rapunzel burst in a shrill voice, tears flooding down her cheeks once again. "But that's…that's only in three days!" Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence, making her parents cringe at their daughter's crushed spirit. Eugene pressed his eyes shut. He didn't know what to say to her, so he simply planted a kiss on the top of her head, which she ignored as she stared her father down.

King Harold, devastated to see his child in such a troubled emotional state, dropped his eyes and softly said, "I'm so sorry, dear. There's nothing we can do but pray for Eugene's forgiveness and the court's favor.

His eyes brimming over as Rapunzel's face twisted, the king turned away tearfully and put his face in his hand. Queen Josephine put a hand on his arm and looked worriedly back and forth between her husband and daughter.

Rapunzel buried her face in Eugene's vest, her small chest heaving and shaking against his as she let out painful, noiseless sobs that reverberated inside of him. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in its sweet scent. He of all people knew that silent cries were the worst.

Eugene knew that he was going to get what was coming to him. He wasn't afraid of prison, and even though every man has a mortal fear of death, that wasn't even his biggest concern of what might happen if he was convicted for his crimes. What he was truly afraid of was leaving Rapunzel. Eugene knew he didn't deserve her in the least bit, but loving the green-eyed beauty he held in his arms was easy as breathing and he couldn't help it.

Eugene closed his eyes, embracing her tightly, and let his cheek rest on her head, and the two of them held each other as if they were the only two people in the world, as if the King and Queen of Corona weren't watching them, as if there wasn't a chameleon on Eugene's head.

Queen Josephine gave her daughter's love's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and he opened his eyes just enough to see her subtly wipe a tear and lead her husband away. Eugene closed his eyes again, letting himself fall into Rapunzel for what seemed like hours. Any awkward passersby were ignored, whom the rogue would've normally given a stern look of "get lost" in this sort of predicament. Instead, he simply rubbed Rapunzel's back in tiny, comforting circles, until she let out a muffled sob.

At first, Eugene couldn't understand whether or not she'd said something or if it was just a moan. After a moment of deciphering her cry, he understood Rapunzel's words all too well, and his heart cracked like an egg, its cold yolk sloshing over his stomach.

"Eugene…I don't want to lose you again!"

His heart felt literally broken, split in two; the very heart that had remained hidden for so many years that Eugene thought he'd never use it again. Now, he felt that it was being overly active.

He didn't run away from his feelings; from her. Eugene's jaw twitched as he readjusted his head so that his chin rested in her silky brown hair. He gripped her so tight that he was almost worried that he'd break her, but her embrace was even tighter than his. Rapunzel chewed her lip as she tried not to cry too loudly, and as she began to wind down, she fiddled with the clasps on his vest.

Eugene let a tear slip down his cold cheek and fall onto her head. _Flynn Rider wouldn't be caught dead crying,_ he thought, _but Eugene Fitzherbert was about to BE dead because he WAS Flynn Rider. Sort of._

It is true that every man is afraid of dying, but that wasn't the reason why Eugene felt this unusual onslaught of emotion. He was heartbroken for Rapunzel, the one he loved so much that it pained him. The most notable thing about this whole ordeal that proved he was no longer Flynn Rider wasn't that he was sad, or even that he cried, but because it never crossed his mind for a second, never occurred to him once, that he loved a woman far too much for his own good.

Partially because Eugene _didn't_ love Rapunzel too much for his own good. He loved her more than anything, and it was more than enough for her, but his love for her grew more and more every single day.


	8. Wait For Me

Rapunzel usually spent much of the weekend of with her parents, but that particular weekend, she didn't leave Eugene's room once since two a.m., when she woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare of her love being hung and crawled into bed with him.

Pascal was sleeping on the bedside table next to her, so she let him be, and tiptoed to her door. It creaked open slowly, and she poked her head out into the hall dimly lit by candlelight. The guard her parents had assigned to sit outside her door out of sheer paranoia had fallen asleep, and was slumped over on a chair opposite her door. Rapunzel closed the door with a soft click, and turned left as she made her way down the hall.

Rapunzel hugged her arms around her chest – the castle got awfully chilly at night, and her nightgown was barely a thin sheet of pale blue cotton. She tried to ignore the cold searing through the soles of her feet with every step she took on the marble tile. At least the stairwell leading up to the fourth floor was clothed in scarlet carpet. She ran her fingers over the gold-plated handrail as she hurried up the stairs. _I know this is where I'm supposed to be,_ she thought, _but it isn't where I belong if Eugene and I can't be together._

If he hadn't already been lying awake, deep in thought, Eugene never would've known she'd come in – he was a pretty deep sleeper, which was a bad thing to be if you were a thief. Luckily for him, he wasn't a thief anymore. He was the guy who wanted to be there for the Lost Princess of Corona as she got accustomed to her new life, a life that currently, she was not at all pleased with.

The mattress shook as Rapunzel climbed onto the queen-sized bed and snuggled down under the covers with him. "Eugene, I had a nightmare…can I sleep here with you?" She had expected a 'no'; it had been many a night when Gothel had rejected her after a bad dream and Rapunzel would have to drag her feet back to the bedroom. However, Eugene didn't turn her down. He had whispered, "Rapunzel, if anyone finds you here, your dad is going to have my head." Eugene fully knew that there was a possibility that her father was going to have his head anyways, but he didn't mention that.

Rapunzel crawled up with him anyways, resting her head against his chest and hugging him tight. She mumbled dismissively, "My papa loves you, Eugene." She tucked her head underneath his chin and absently busied herself by playing with some of the few hairs that adorned his chest. She added, "But I love you more." and his heart stopped. She said it. The magic words. He buried his face in her hair. "I love you too," Eugene sighed, meaning it with all his heart.

King Harold and Queen Josephine were not surprised to be informed by Rapunzel's door-guard, Conli, that she wasn't there that morning, nor to be alerted by the maid that had been assigned to bring Eugene breakfast every morning that the two of them were sleeping soundly in the same bed. Queen Josephine had simply, calmly asked the maid, Susan, to bring up another tray of food for Rapunzel as well.

Rapunzel's parents felt terrible. They finally got their daughter back, all for her to hate them because her true love was going to be hung? "Well, we don't know if he's going to be hung," Queen Josephine had reminded her husband as he paced worriedly in his office. "Jo, all the odds are against him. I'd be surprised if he pulls through this without a consequence."

Monday was worse. Rapunzel had to go to her daily lessons, and the only class she paid any attention in was the one on Corona's Law and Judicial System, where she learned that there was a large chance that Eugene would be pronounced guilty for his crimes as Flynn Rider. That meant death by hanging – the same fate his former colleagues, the Stabbington Brothers, had suffered. Therefore, this might be her one true love's last day as a free man.

After her lessons, Rapunzel inquired about Eugene's whereabouts, and her father said that he was probably still in mathematics class. She trudged back to her bedroom, her crown sitting crookedly on her head and the pale purple train of her dress dragging on the floor.

Once back in her spacious, lonesome bedroom, she poured her heart out onto her walls through her main means of self-expression…

She painted.

Rapunzel painted like she'd never painted before. She had a purpose, a message, a meaning, and a dream behind it, just as always, but there was pain at its center. Tears steamed down her face as she made a new, full mural, and just as she finished, there was a knock on her door. She gasped, clattering down her ladder. She ran to her bed and clapped on her tiara, wiping her face on her sleeve. "Come in," she choked.

Her door creaked open and there stood Eugene, his brown eyes sunken. A bit of life reentered them as he saw Rapunzel's paint-splattered face. "Hey, Blondie."

She gasped and ran at him, jumping right into his arms. "Eugene!" Startled at first, he stumbled back into the doorframe. He smiled groggily, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame. "Easy there, tiger." Eugene heard a muffled laugh that vibrated against his chest before Rapunzel let herself down. She took his hand and led him to where she'd been painting. He couldn't help but notice how tiny, how delicate they were compared to his big, callused ones.

"Look," she sniffled, pulling the ladder away from the wall.

Eugene stared ahead, up at the nearly life-sized mural on the wall, allowing a moment to pass so he could take it all in. The painting depicted him and Rapunzel, both clad in fancy white clothes with gilded golden accents. Rapunzel wore a long golden headpiece which, he supposed, was meant to symbolize her hair when they had first met. He was all tied up in it, and she had pulled him close to her, and their noses were touching.

Eugene's heart stuttered as he quickly realized that it was he and Rapunzel…getting married. She painted her walls with things she loved; her hopes and dreams. Whatever adorned her walls were things she wanted to see, make or do.

It hit him like a frying pan to the head. She wanted to get married.

He was going to be tried tomorrow, possibly put to death. Eugene's heart was ripped out all over again as he staggered back, falling into an armchair. His mouth hung ajar as he stared at the carpet that Rapunzel's little sitting area rested upon, trying to collect his thoughts. _She wants to _marry_ me,_ Eugene thought incredulously, his heart going a mile a minute. They'd been together for less than a month. _She really loves me that much?_ He couldn't make himself believe it, but there was the proof, right in front of his eyes.

Ice shot through Eugene's veins, but he still sweat it out on Rapunzel's velvet chair, running his fingers nervously through his hair, which was getting greasy with perspiration. The princess came up behind him, anxiously tucking a lock of wild brown hair behind her ear. "Look, Eugene, I'm-"

Before she could continue with her apology, Eugene had leapt to his feet, spun around and caught her in a kiss.

Very slowly, Rapunzel closed her wide green eyes and fell into him, sliding her arms dazedly around his neck. After a moment, he deepened their liplock, daring for the first time to draw his tongue over hers. She yelped quietly, jerking back for a moment, but not long enough to let him slip away. It felt good. Rapunzel held onto Eugene's vest as she mimicked his actions with no expertise but full enthusiasm. The world seemed to melt around them as they kissed passionately until they could hardly breathe.

Eugene pulled away for a breather, lingering close to her face, the air around them steamy. One of his hands rested on her flushed cheek; the other was at her lower back, holding her close to him. He stared at her kiss-swollen lips, his breath hot on her face, and murmured her name in a needy tone.

"Rapunzel…"

"Shh," she hushed him, gazing at his flickering amber eyes and running her fingers through his soft, silky hair. "There's nothing more to say."

He pulled away a little more. "No, but there is," he objected, his voice raising closer to its normal volume. Eugene tentatively caressed his cheek, gazing intently into her beautiful emerald eyes.

"No matter what happens in that courtroom, I want you to know something." He cleared his throat and sat down on the armchair, cradling Rapunzel in his lap. "I want you to know that I'm gonna take what I get and deal with it. But no matter what happens…"

He shifted, reaching into his back pocket, and pulled something out which he obscured in his fist. Eugene smiled meekly, tilting his head ever-so-slightly, knowing that what he was about to do would be no mistake. "Rapunzel…y-you are, by far, the _best_ thing that's ever happened to me. And I don't know what's gonna happen to me now, so I can't give you a promise, but I can give you this."

Eugene opened his hand to reveal a small gold band with a single amethyst on it – purple, her favorite color. Rapunzel could only gasp and squeak, "Eugene!" His grin was full of genuine love for the girl he held, but he couldn't help feeling that his gift was less than spectacular. He'd bought it with his own money, and it was all he could afford.

"Now, I know it's not much, but…"

He anxiously took Rapunzel's left hand and the ring out of her right, and slid the band onto her ring finger. "…I wanted to know if you'd marry me. Please."

She inhaled sharply, the noise a quick, gasping sound, and her right hand flew up to her chest, as if it'd been struck by lightning. Jade eyes nearly popping out of her head, a shock ran through her rigid body. Her hand in his shook as an urge, stronger than anything she'd ever felt, overcame her. It screamed bloody murder at her, hollering but one word: "YES!"

"…no."

His heart cracked like an egg, and Eugene felt a heat wave of contemptuousness engulf his chest cavity. He had totally just put himself on the line out there. This right here was why he didn't get involved with women: heartbreak. It wasn't becoming of a man to have a broken heart. He didn't think that Rapunzel would be like that, like the other girls…

"'No?' Just 'no'?" Eugene's tone was accusing, and his face twisted into a bitter mix of pain and befuddlement as her eyes welled up with tears. Rapunzel's face melted like butter on a summer sidewalk as she shook her head, sprinkling tears onto her dress. Her expression was one of complete melancholy. She used different phrasing, her raspy voice failing and cracking on the endnote, "Not yet."

His anger faded as his gaze shifted from her face to the floor, trying not to let her see the utter despair behind his eyes. Rapunzel sighed a gusty, gloomy groan of apology. She felt like in the past two weeks she'd lived a lifetime full of emotions, and it was really wearing at her spirit.

Rapunzel could only get up and bring Eugene to his feet, and envelop him into a hug to reassure him of her affections. He almost wanted to push her away and run off to skulk or drink his problems away. The sunlight filtering into the colorful, cheerfully-furnished room made him want to barf.

"What do you mean, 'not yet'?" Eugene choked. "I could be dead in less than a week!"

Her eyes brimmed over with tears, and Rapunzel threw her arms around Eugene, groping his green vest for comfort. She begged him, "Wait for me, Eugene…"

It hit the ex-thief like a bat to the head just how stupid he was. All his trepidation was over Rapunzel – if he was thrown into prison for life, or worse, hung, her heartbreak would be so much more than if he'd just left after he'd brought her home. After all, running away from commitment was something that Flynn Rider was good at.

However, Eugene Fitzherbert was not.

The long-lost orphan in him got quite attached to the things he cared for, and Eugene knew that he wouldn't have left Rapunzel for the world. However, it was _Flynn_ who was in trouble, NOT Eugene.

He returned the embrace, holding the dainty princess tight, sighing into her shoulder. Living a double life was more than complicated, and of course, just when he'd chosen the half of his personality he wanted to keep, the other half came back to haunt him.

Eugene pulled back, took her hand and led Rapunzel across the room, out onto the balcony. He needed some fresh air. They stood in silence for a few minutes, looking down at the kingdom and breathing the crisp ocean breeze. People bustled about on the cobblestone streets in their merry daily business, blissfully unaware of the pain their princess was enduring at that very moment.

Eugene watched a couple holding hands as they walked down the street. Of all the idiots, morons and nincompoops to ever walk the work, he was pretty sure he was the biggest. He and Rapunzel were star-crossed lovers, like Romeo and Juliet. Their relationship was hopeless; doom was their destiny as a pair. He massaged her shoulders comfortingly, and she closed her eyes, leaning back into his strong hands and soaking up the warm sunlight.

Why did Eugene have to love her so much? What happened to the steel bars he'd put around his heart? How could one green-eyed girl tear all those barriers down with a simple smile?

Why did Rapunzel have to lose everything? First she was kidnapped and trapped in a tower for 18 years, completely unaware of who she really was. Then, when she finally found out who she was, the person who'd raised her, terrible and cruel as she was, died. Then she had to be stuck inside for the majority of the day cramming information because she missed an entire childhood of training to rule a kingdom. And now they were going to take Eugene away too? What would she have then? It was hard to take her reptile and newfound parents into consideration during such dire times.

"It's gonna be okay," Rapunzel said aloud, not only trying to convince her love but herself as well. Behind her, she felt Eugene's large, warm hands stop working at her shoulders, and they slipped down and around her waist. He sighed, laying a head on her shoulder and twiddling with the lace on her dress. He didn't believe her for a second, and she could tell.

Rapunzel continued anyways. "I have to believe you're going to pull through this, Eugene!" she admonished, gaining her voice back, and her tears began to evaporate. She placed her small hands on top of his, running her fingers over his battered knuckles. The princess looked up at the sky, blinking in the intense light. "After all, you brought back the Lost Princess, remember?"

Eugene nuzzled her neck with his chin, his beard tickling her. Rapunzel managed a small giggle, and he tried to smile at her, his efforts feeble. "Yeah, well, I also stole her crown, along with countless other things…"

She pecked his cheek. "Well, you forget who my parents are. And…who I am. We can _help_ you. And anyways," she added playfully, tapping the end of his tanned nose, "thief or not, you're still a prince to me."

Eugene's smile was genuine this time, reaching his brown eyes and bringing the color back into his cheeks. He looked down at Rapunzel, ever grateful that even if he was sentenced to hang, he'd still had the chance to hold her; to love her. Just the fact alone that she loved poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert, _not_ Flynn Rider, was enough for him.

He would wait for her. As long as it took, so long as he could, he would wait. And maybe someday, they really could get married – the love in her shining green eyes told him that she wanted to, and she still wore his ring. He'd watch her rule Corona with all the grace and wisdom as her parents before her, and maybe he'd have the privilege of seeing their own children grow up and take the throne. They would grow old together, live happily ever after, and die side-by-side, hand-in-hand, after a long and meaningful life full of love for one another.

Maybe Eugene and Rapunzel didn't _have_ to be doomed by fate. Maybe destiny wasn't the path chosen for you, but the path you make for _yourself_. And maybe, _just maybe_, they could make their dreams come true – together.

He captured Rapunzel in a kiss, the sun shining down on them as would an approving parent as he pressed closer to her. Now, if only he could convince the Court that.


	9. Trial and Error

It was Trial Tuesday before you could say Flynn Fitzherbert five times fast. Eugene dressed in nice-but-comfortable clothes, so as to look appropriate, but if he was going to spend the rest of his life in the clothes he was wearing (however long that might be) he wanted them to be comfortable ones. After getting dressed and shaving, he went up to Rapunzel's room and hung out in there with her until noon. At 12:00, they met King Harold and Queen Josephine on the rooftop garden for lunch, and immediately following, the royals proceeded to the throne room to prepare for the trial. At two 'o clock sharp, the bells Eugene could hear chiming outside had never rung so loudly in his ears. Standing just outside the throne room, he nearly jumped out of his skin when the doors opened. Swallowing the knot in his throat anxiously, Eugene straightened his vest and clasped his hands in front of him, and began walking forward. Purple tapestries hung from the high ceilings, dotted with golden suns, a constant reminder of the last time he'd been there – the heist. Once he'd reached the defendant's platform, he stepped up and bowed awkwardly to Rapunzel and her parents. King Harold nodded and stood, announcing grandly, "We are gathered here today for the trial of Flynn Rider. The charges against Mr. Rider are petty and grand theft. Mr. Rider, how do you plead?" The King knew full well that Eugene was quite ashamed of his past – while Rapunzel talked constantly during dinnertime about her life in the tower, the ex-thief had always been evasive when the subject of his past came up. It came as no surprise to King Harold when Eugene practically squeaked, "Guilty." A murmur rose up from the large jury box to his right, filled with men in suits with papers and stern faces. The King turned to look at one particular dark-haired man, who nodded and stood with an armful of documents. "Senator Powell, proceed," he commanded. The tall, dark and lean man casually strode out of the jury box to stand between Eugene and the royals. He pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose, squinting hard at the papers he held in his hand. The Head of the Coronan Judicial Court cleared his throat and started to speak in a rather nasal, monotonous voice for a grown man. "Mr. Rider," he began, "Do you know all of the things you've stolen?" Taken aback with surprise, Eugene's cheeks flared up. His body rigid and face burning, he looked down and shifted his hands to his back. "No, sir." Senator Powell gave a superior snort and muttered, "I thought not." Raising his voice back to its normal, irritating volume, he continued with a wave of his documents. "I have here a chronological list of every single thing you've ever stolen – on record – from your first street vendor robbery at the age of sixteen to your latest heist of…Princess Rapunzel's crown." Rapunzel's hand shot up as if she were in a lesson, catching the eye of the Head of the Court. She bobbed to her feet and lowered her arm, saying shyly, "If I may, sir?" Without waiting for a reply from Senator Powell, incredulous that the Princess had just called him "sir", she said, "If he hadn't stolen the crown and hidden in my tower, he never would have found me, and I wouldn't be here today." She turned to face the crowd of citizen representatives. "Gentlemen, please don't forget that the man who stands before you today is no common criminal. He's nothing short of a hero, in fact. He…he saved my life." Rapunzel turned to look at Eugene, offering him a reassuring smile. "If having me, your Princess, back where I belong, means nothing to you, then arrest this man. Do whatever you want with Eu-Mr. Rider. But if my rescue, as well as my happiness, means anything at all to you, then you will let this man be free to go." Eugene stared at a proudly grinning Rapunzel, completely astounded. Her speech lessons were really paying off. She lowered herself into her chair, her pink skirt brushing the floor with a light swishing sound, and he shot his one true love a grateful smile. Senator Powell, however, sported a bored look upon his porcelain-colored face. He rolled his judgmental blue eyes before addressing the King. "Your Highness, what is your opinion on this matter?" King Harold rose to his feet in a most regal manner, clasping his hands confidently behind his back. "Mr. Rider's past behavior has been nothing short of quixotic," he began boldly, and Eugene's heart sank. He wasn't sure what "quixotic" meant, but it didn't sound too promising, especially due to some arrogant smirks that had appeared on some of the representatives' faces. "However," he went on, "what my daughter says is true. This man gave his life – his life as a thief, as Flynn Rider – for my daughter, so that she might return home to us." He gestured to his wife with a small smile. "I feel that we are all indebted to this man – whom, might I say – I myself had sentenced to death. "He has most certainly changed his ways, and I would not defend him if this were not true. Mr. Rider has been polite and respectful in all of his dealings with my family and staff, and has not stolen, lied, nor cheated during his stay here. He has requested no reward for returning our daughter to us. "It has become clear to me," King Harold concluded, "that there is only one robbery this man has made that matters in my book – and that is the operation in which he stole my daughter's heart." The King winked at Eugene as he sat back down on his throne, and the young man could only stare ahead dumbly. Had the King of Corona really defended him in court?" Eugene shot Rapunzel an excited grin, and she gave him a tiny thumbs-up. Senator Powell still looked excruciatingly irritated, blinking slowly. Speechless but still bearing a poker face, he looked back at the jury box with an almost pleading look in his face. The representatives were mumbling speculatively amongst themselves; a low din that really was getting on Eugene's nerves. A sandy-haired young man halfway-rose, nodding at Senator Powell, and with a smug glint in his icy blue eyes, he announced, "The Coronan Judicial Court has come to a conclusion." He paced back to the jury box and took his seat, settling papers into his briefcase, as the sandy-haired man stood and took Senator Powell's place. He cleared his throat nervously and began, "As the official spokesperson for the Coronan Judicial Court, it is my duty to announce that Mr. Flynn Rider has been cleared of his petty theft record." Eugene, Rapunzel and her parents all let out the angst-held breath they'd bottled up since the beginning of the court session. Just as Rapunzel poised herself to spring out of her chair, set between her parents', the blonde spokesperson started talking again. "However, the Court still holds Mr. Rider accountable for grand theft of royal property, and therefore Mr. Rider has been sentenced to life in prison as a final verdict." Eugene's eyebrows shot up in alarm, King Harold sighed gloomily, Queen Josephine's jaw dropped, and Rapunzel leapt to her feet, bare as always, in a fit of rage. "This court is adjourned." Her green eyes wild, Rapunzel held up her skinny, cream-colored arms in a feeble effort to stop the representatives from shuffling their papers around and packing up to leave. "Wait a second!" she cried, her outburst no surprise to anyone. "You mean that my Eugene is going to be put in prison for…for life? For stealing this stupid thing?" The princess tore off her age-old heirloom tiara, holding it in front of her as if it were crawling with poisonous spiders. "That is…unacceptable!" she continued, trying to make use of that week's vocabulary words in her speech lesson. "If it's this thing," she shouted, drawing some wary glances from the beginning-to-leave-and-ignoring-their-princess representatives as she waved the crown around like a dirty rag, "or him, then I want him!" In an explosion of furious temperament, Rapunzel hurled the tiara across the room, fire burning in her veins and smoke pouring out her ears. This wasn't right! She was angrier than she'd ever been in her life – the princess felt like she could tear steel at that moment. Ignoring the gasps that came with the shattering, clattering sound of her crown against the floor, Rapunzel's eyes welled up with hot tears. Eugene took a step toward her, opening his mouth to speak and reaching a hand towards her, but was just as quickly overthrown by six or seven guards. They shackled his wrists, and impulsively, she tried to run at them. King Harold caught his daughter around the waist in midair, holding her flailing form back. "No!" Rapunzel sobbed, desperately trying to break free of her father's grasp. "Papa, this is all wrong! They can't do this to him! He saved me! Doesn't that mean anything?" "Of course it does, Sweet Pea," her mother assured her, placing a warm hand on Rapunzel's arm. She stopped flailing about as her parents tried to calm the frantic princess. Her father simply sighed, "I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do." Tears began to flood down her cheeks and blurred her vision as Rapunzel stood wrapped in her parents embrace, watching helplessly as the love of her life was being dragged away through a sea of guards and court representatives. Eugene called out to her, his voice distinct over the noise of the crowd, "Rapunzel!" He couldn't believe this was happening. Of course, it was the inevitable; he deserved it all, but Rapunzel didn't. She was the princess! Surely they wanted what was in her best interest! Then again, she could do better than him…either way, he loved her, and she loved him, and they at least deserved some parting words. Eugene struggled against the guards, seeing Rapunzel sink to the floor of the raised throne platform, shaking violently. He couldn't hear her sobs over the persistent grousing of the guards, but he could tell she was crying noisily due to her parents frantically trying to calm her down. "Rapunzel!" he called, trying to get her attention. "Wait – stop it, guys! Gimme a minute! Rapunzel! I – I've got to – stop, I'm trying to talk to her! Rapunzel!" Rapunzel had folded her arms on her knees and laid her head down in them to cry. Though the surface of her skin burned, she felt icy-cold inside, especially the gaping hole in her chest where her heart had been ripped out from. Even if she had any of her heart left, it would've been snatched away with the last thing she heard Eugene say before he was dragged out of the throne room and to the prison ward. "Rapunzel, I love you!" All of the energy drained out of the once-limitless girl, Rapunzel collapsed her head between her knees and cried. 


	10. The Princess and the Prison

_Rapunzel's Point of View_

That first day of Eugene being in prison, or rather, what was left of the day after the trial, was torture. I'd never felt such consuming pain and emotion, so I stayed upstairs, and cried out 18 years worth of tears into my lavender sheets and blew my nose on the gauzy drapes of my oversized canopy bed. I know, it sounds like I was feeling sorry for myself and being weak…but Eugene was gone. He was, and still is, my _everything_, and I was powerless against his fate. What else could I do?

Even my parents had let me alone to scream into my pillows to my heart's content. After several hours of nonstop yelling and sobbing and gasping, dying inside from the loss of the love of my life, my throat had been rubbed so raw that I could hardly whisper. Every drop of liquid in my body was gone, along with every last shred of hope for my new dream coming true. Life was rotten.

My eyes watery, face swollen and throbbing, and long pink dress sopping with tears, I dizzily sat up around five 'o clock, desperately needing some ginger ale. That's what Mo – um, I mean, Gothel, had always given me when I felt ill, and I could really use a glass of it right then. However, I didn't want to ring for room service, which Mama had said I always could, day or night…there was a panel on the wall next to my bed with several buzzers I could tap whenever I wanted something. Apparently, it was the newest, most convenient technology out there, installed especially for me, but I hated to be waited on. I'd rather get the ale myself.

I swung my legs over the bed and groggily made my way to the door, and turned left towards the stairwell. I passed no one down the hall; I was only accompanied by slightly fluttering curtains and open windows as I padded down the marble corridor. I headed for the lovely, plush-carpeted, gilded stairwell that I loved so much; it was clad with carvings of angels in the gleaming golden walls and had fresco paintings on the ceiling. Normally, I'd smile just looking at this room…there was a red velvet couch on the landing between my floor and the one below, and Eugene and I would often sit there as he read me stories about pirates and thieves and swashbuckling heroes…

Eugene.

I passed only a laundry-maid who tried to avert her gaze while I went down the stairs. I smiled weakly at her, wiping my nose. Even though I felt terrible, she shouldn't – she already had to spend her time waiting on people rather than having fun. I needn't make her day more miserable with my mourning.

I reached the second floor of the housing wing and, just as I was about to turn to what was the first floor of the main palace, I saw the plaque on the wall that read, "Floor 2: Apartments". My face, drained of all color, twisted in remembrance. This was where Eugene's room had been…

Without a second notion, I hiked up my tear-stained skirts and fled down the hall, forsaking the ginger ale.

My heart pounded in my ears like drums, and my head pulsated with every slap of my bare feet on the cold marble floor. I almost accidentally knocked over some other laundry maids – must've been laundry day – in my rush to get to Eugene's quarters, with a stupid, blind hope that he'd be there, driving me on down the hall .

Gasping for breath and my vision darkening around the corners of my eyes, I reached door 229, the room directly under my own, apartment 329. I placed a hand on the brass knob, the metal sending chills through my arms and legs. I bit my lip in anticipation, praying that this was all just a dream, and with one push, I flung open the door and stood there, chest heaving, and stared at the painfully empty, well-lit room. Sugary sunshine bounced off the whitewashed walls, mocking my pain, whispering, _Be glad he's not dead. You're a luckier girl than you think._

I closed the door behind me with a soft click, every breath I took only slightly laborious than the last. Deflated and defeated, I leaned back against the door, my lungs and throat burning. My fingers slid over the handle, locking it so no one could get in – not that I thought anyone would come and bother me.

I slowly crossed the room to the door leading out to the balcony and stood the doorway. I squinted my green eyes against the harsh sunlight, my heavy heart throbbing low in my stomach, as a slight breeze rustled through my short-cropped hair. It was nice to feel the wind on my scalp, but the nice weather was just _too_ good. It didn't make sense for nature to seem so cheery while I felt like my heart had just been ripped out of my chest and dropped into the courtyard below.

The sun warm on my sore face, its rays seemed to cradle me in their arms, and I felt so close to it that almost thought I had its power again. However, even if I did, no amount of healing powers could bring Eugene back to me now.

"I wish we could enjoy this beautiful day together, Eugene," I whispered, hugging myself. Despite the warm, breezy evening, my chest cavity was freezing cold, and my heart felt like a chunk of ice.

Sighing gustily, I turned back inside and flopped down on Eugene's bed, the mattress springs screeching in protest. I wanted to just see him again; know he was alright. Was that so wrong?

With a groan, stomach down, I pressed my nose into his sheets. The strong scent of Eugene surrounded me – It was the smell of cologne and aftershave and something completely distinct to the man I loved; that good man smell, whatever it was, surrounded my senses and overwhelmed me until my head ached with dizziness.

I climbed under the covers and pulled the comforter over my head, letting the soft fabric slide over my cheek and forehead. I could almost hear Eugene whispering the words he'd said when they'd gone to the Snuggly Duckling. "Take a deep breath through nose…really let that seep in."

I did. My body became all warm and tingly just smelling him all around me; it eased my broken heart just the tiniest bit. Would I really never be able to see Eugene again? It wasn't like he was going to be killed. He was still in the palace – if you counted the prison ward as part of the residential castle. Oh, I didn't want to think anymore! There was too much to worry about…I don't know if I'm being entirely clear with you; my speech professor says that the way I talk can be misleading because I'm so naïve, but I hardly even know my parents at all. Don't get me wrong; I loved them with all my heart, and they mean well…and I'll always have Pascal. But Eugene…he _is_ my everything. He gives my life…_meaning._ Without Eugene, I'm just another girl – except for the whole heir-to-the-Coronan-throne thing – with nothing special about me. We did everything together, and taking him away from me was like taking away my reason to live.

I slid my eyes shut and let the man smell envelop me, clearing my mind so that I could think straight. Well, at least he wasn't going to be hung. That was reassuring. I'd probably even be able to visit him. It was all gonna be okay.

After a few minutes of breathing Eugene's air, I looked at the ornate clock to my left and crawled out of bed…it was dinnertime, and though my parents probably weren't expecting me, I didn't want to disappoint them in missing supper. They'd promised me hazelnut soup that morning, and I was looking forward to the effort they'd made to cheer me up.

At dinner, the large, quiet Dining Hall seemed to swallow up my family. The two doors leading out of the hall were flanked with stony-looking servants – I figured that they were quite used to a silent dinnertime after nearly 18 years of my parents having little to talk to each other about because they were so sad about my…disappearance. It kind of gave me a guilty pleasure that they had missed me so much, but I felt terrible for causing them so many years of pain and silence, and now it was just back to the nightly grind.

The only thing that could be heard was the sound of soft munching and spoons scraping noisily against china bowls, and the occasional small talk over concerns in my behalf: "Will you be alright, dear?" and the like; nothing about the tiara incident, much to my relief. I don't know what'd come over me; the anger had long passed into depression by now. I'd answered every question with a solemn nod, staring at the brown liquid in my bowl, not wanting to speak.

It was halfway through dessert that I finally mustered up the courage to ask the question that had been burning inside me for hours. I shifted in my seat and tugged stiffly at my short-sheared locks, and suddenly burst, "Do I get to see Eugene again?"

Mama stopped mid-bite of her chocolate mousse, and Papa knocked his bowl over all together. He grumbled an apology to the servant that rushed to clean up his mess as he exchanged a nervous glance with his Mama. Then they looked back at me, their expressions empathetic and sad at the forlorn look in my eyes. Mama set her spoon down in her bowl with a sigh, rising to her feet and taking me by the hand.

"Come with me, Sweetheart."

She led me out of the Dining Hall, and I followed her with a dreary eagerness up and down passageways, some familiar and others unfamiliar. Up stairwells, across a rooftop courtyard, and down a corridor I knew as the Hall of Family Trees – it was lined from floor to ceiling with huge, stuffy-looking portraits of my ancestors, much more realistic renderings than my paintings.

Once we came to a stop at the end of the seemingly-endless hallway, Mama and I stood before a set of thick, wooden, ornately-carved doors that bared a heavily-armored guard at each side. As if on cue, they both bowed and chimed in unison, "Evening, Your Majesties."

I frowned, my distaste in the title apparent. Nicknames were fine with me, but special titles made me feel uncomfortable. I wasn't _really_ special; my parents just happened to be the rulers of Corona. Why did that call for being treated differently than everyone else? Of course, I wanted to be unique, but I also longed to be _normal._

"Good evening. We are here to see Flynn Rider," Mama told the guards. "You are to report to the Captain that my daughter is to be allowed to visit him at any time, day or night. Is that clear?"

The instructive edge to Mama's tone made me uneasy. It reminded me of Mother Gothel's harshness…of course, my mama would never speak to _me_ that way; just to give orders. Still, I didn't like it a bit.

The guards nodded eagerly, and while one opened the doors, the other said, "Yes, Your Grace. I'll notify him right away." He left as Mama and I entered. Just as the doors were about to be closed behind us, the guard asked, "Would Your Majesties like an escort?" With a dismissive wave of her hand, Mama said, "No, thank you, that won't be necessary." She then took my hand in hers again and led me down the dimly-lit hall.

Despite the skylights in the low ceilings, the passage was darker and gloomier than the rest of the castle, even though the sun was barely beginning to set outside. Something about this wing of the castle made my skin crawl and stomach churn –it was dank and dreary, and it smelled, as my Eugene would describe it, "like the color brown". I wrinkled my nose in disgust at the stench, my eyes watering, and I was careful to maneuver around puddles that dotted the floor. The mortar of the thick, adobe-brick walls crumbled into fine white dust, making the whole place dirtier and dustier than it needed to be. Looking around and trying to stray my mind of what nightmare Eugene was probably living in, I thought about ways I could improve this place during my future rule.

That is, if I could pass all my lessons. Why did I have so much to worry about? Eugene's wellbeing, a happy future, passing my lessons, ruling a kingdom…and a few weeks ago the only concern I had was to see the lanterns!

This place was so unkempt that it hurt my heart to think that people had to _live_ here. Sure, they must've done bad things in the past to have ended up here, but no one deserved to live in such horrible conditions – and I hadn't seen the worst yet. All I'd seen was the main hall, where no cells were.

Mama seemed to know the way through the dirty labyrinth by heart as she led me to the residential part of the prison, marked by a set of stout oak doors covered in juts and scratch marks, flanked by two guards that opened up automatically for us.

A terrific stink, even worse than before, consumed my senses as Mama let me into the temporary holding area – men howled and screamed terrible, obscene things at mama and I, and the guards in the corridors began to shout back at the inmates who continued to spit and holler at us.

I didn't blame them for being angry – they had to spend the rest of their lives, that is, until they were hung, in a dark, dingy cell. The only light that ever entered this part of the building were through tiny windows – each cell had one square-foot window that filtered the last light of day through iron bars. I tried to appear brave, but I kept hearing Mother Gothel's voice in my head, telling me horror stories about ruffians and thugs.

"I really did try, Rapunzel…I tried to warn you what was out there…"

One of the inmates snapped me out of my mortified trance by snatching at the hem of my pink satin dress. Much to my surprise, Mama kicked the ghostly arm, and it retreated quickly back into the shadows. She tightened her grip on my hand and hastened down the hall, practically dragging me down the noisy corridor as my head spun – this trip was more than perturbing.

My floral-print gown was dirty with grime and every rowdy and rambunctious word hurled through the air was foul-mouthed, but I was determined to see my Eugene, even if it be the last time. The cold of the stone floor bit into the bare soles of my feet and the last lights of day were fading – our path was hardly lit as my mama and I flew through the maze of cells until we came to a halt at yet another closed door. The wooden plaque on the wall next to it read, "Lifetime Inmates". Mama let go of my hand and knocked.

The peephole-window on the door slid open and a set of blue eyes appeared. Upon seeing the knocker, the door immediately swung open, and a guard bowed. "I assume you're here to see Rider, Your Majesty," the guard said. I recognized him as Carver, the guard who'd fetched my parents when I'd first arrived at the palace. "Yes, sir," I answered shyly, and Mama ushered me on into the dark corridor. "I'll wait out here, Sweet Pea," she whispered, taking a step backwards. "That is, if you're alright to continue on alone."

I gave her a confident nod, swallowing the lump in my throat as my stomach churned. "I'll be alright," I croaked, and with that, Carver closed the door, and I was enveloped into darkness interrupted only by two lanterns: he held one, while the other was stationed at the far end of the hall.

"Follow me," he instructed softly.

Unlike the temporary holding area, this section was one straight corridor instead of a confusing labyrinth of passageways. Carver led me to the end and took a key ring off his belt, unlocking a cell door I assumed was Eugene's – the eerie green glow of the lantern didn't reach far. The guard handed me the lantern and took the other off the wall for himself, and headed back down the hall and out the door.

The slam of the door echoed for a few moments, but after that, all I could hear was the muted squeaking of rats and the snores – some louder than others – of the sleeping inmates. Sure, it wasn't even near nine yet, but when you're stuck in an empty holding cell, there's little to do but sleep.

I sighed and inhaled sharply, scared about what I might see when I entered Eugene's cell. Still, I gathered up my courage and hoisted up the lantern to shine it into the cell.

Oh, my poor Eugene!

He was certainly a strong man, I knew, physically and mentally as well as emotionally…but the stench, the grime, the rats, the lack of occupation, and most of all, the chains, made the living conditions unbearable for anyone of sound mind. Anger bubbled up in the pit of my stomach…the Court had betrayed me. Apparently, Eugene and my parents (excluding Pascal and Maximus) were the only ones who cared at all about my happiness.

At first, I didn't see him. Compared to the temporary holding cells, this one was quite spacious, but then I saw him, curled up in fetal position on a messy lump of hay in the right-hand corner by the door.

I immediately set the lantern on the floor next to him, its jade glow illuminating his form which, now that I was close enough for inspection, I saw was covered with bruises, scratches and dried blood. His bare back was turned toward me and his knees were drawn to his chest, so I couldn't see his front side, but from where I sat, my battered beau did not look at all like the man I'd seen leave the courtroom less than eight hours previous.

I wobbily knelt down beside him, feeling that at any moment the world was going to drop out from beneath me. I placed a hand on his shoulder – gosh, he was _freezing!_ Where had his shirt and vest gone? Oh, there was his shirt…wrapped around his leg and drenched in blood. I cringed – he didn't smell at all like Eugene, like cologne and aftershave and man. He smelled like stale bread and blood and jail, which was a combination of the stenches of urine, excrement and bodies that hadn't showered in years. I didn't wince at his rank, though – it was his state of body that I was concerned about. He looked like he'd taken quite a beating, and that made my cheek twitch with rage, a hot, passionate anger boiling inside of me for whoever had done this to him. Eugene did not deserve any of this. He deserved to live happily ever after with me.

The iciness of the floor seeped through my dress and into my legs, coursing through my veins and chilling my heart. I slid my hand from his shoulder cautiously, and down to his chest. I gently eased him onto his back and leaned down to whisper in his ear, my eyes filling up with tears of pain. "Eugene…please wake up, Eugene."

Only the slow rising and falling of his scathed chest indicated that he was alive. I wished he'd open his eyes. I wished I could heal him. I wished I'd never come here – I should never have told Eugene that I was the princess. We should've just gone to live on an island somewhere, far, far away from all of our bad memories.

He must not have been sleeping very deeply, for his shallow snoring ceased and he shifted in the stiff hay. Eugene's amber eyes cracked open and he sorely moaned, "Rapunzel?"

Tears began to slide down my cheeks – dinner had given me an opportunity to rehydrate my body. "Hey, Eugene," I whispered. It couldn't be this way forever…it wasn't fair! It took all of my self-control to hold back from throwing my arms around him – it'd hurt his ailments. He grunted as he propped himself up on one elbow, managing a smile that tore out what was left of my heart, the manacles that kept him chained to the wall clanking loudly.

I stared in revulsion at the cold, metal shackles on his wrists and ankles. "Eugene…I'm _so_ sorry…"

Despite his chains and injuries, Eugene eased himself into a sitting position, cringing in pain, and carefully drew me into him. "It's not your fault, Rapunzel," he croaked. He buried his face in my hair, kissing the top of my head, clearly as glad to see me as I was to see him. "It's great to hear your voice. I thought I'd never see you again."

I pulled out of the embrace, somberly remembering the last time he'd said that. Judging by the look of concern on his face, Eugene had noticed how puffy and bloodshot my cloudy eyes were, and I returned the expression in accordance to his black eye and obviously-broken nose. Though I didn't mention it, I thought he finally looked like one of his "wanted" posters.

I spread my small hands across the expanse of Eugene's bare chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath my palms as I studied his bruises and slashes, my eyebrows knitted into an upset line. "Who did this to you?" I demanded, eyeing the purplish-yellowish mutilations on his skin. Eugene simply shook his head and muttered, "Eh, doesn't matter. They can. And it's nothing, really. I'm used to it…"

I shook my head in befuddlement, my matted brown hair bobbing irritatingly. "This isn't right, Eugene," I whispered, more tears flowing. I sniffled, trying to be strong as I looked back up into his eyes. He caressed my cheek gently and muttered, "I love you, you know."

The chunk of ice I had for a heart melted a bit as I smiled. "I love you more." Eugene leaned towards me, and brushed his lips against mine for a long, soft kiss. He murmured against my mouth, "I love you most."

Catching my breath, I choked on my tears…it meant so much more when he said it than any time Mother Gothel ever had, because I knew that Eugene really meant it. I'd never even told him that she used to say that to me – this was out of his own accord. A sudden wave of emotion swept over me, the same epiphany that had hit me back in the tower after Mother Gothel had fallen out the window and Eugene had died: it was the feeling that I was losing everything I had.

Mother Gothel had used me, yes, and Mama was the one who actually loved me, but the absence of the woman who'd raised me still left a blank hole in me heart, and Eugene's sentence had totally ripped the rug right out from under me. Life was just falling apart, and on top of it all, I didn't even know where Pascal was, my one constant through everything.

"That's what Mother Gothel used to say!" I simply sobbed.

I buried my face in my arms, and I felt Eugene draw me close to him. "Rapunzel." His tone was as if I'd just sliced open his heart. I feebly looked up into his eyes, trying to make myself as small as possible. "I am _so sorry._"

Sighing in anguish, I leaned back against him, sitting in his lap as he paused, looking around the nearly pitch-black room, illuminated by the one pale-green lantern. "For everything," Eugene continued, and I noticed for the first time that his voice raspy, as if someone had done something to his neck. Had someone tried to strangle him? "You shouldn't have to be here. You…you should go."

My face twisted, excruciating heartbreak flowing through every last fiber of my body. "No, Eugene," I managed to choke out, pressing myself against him for warmth and comfort as steamy tears streamed down my face. "_I'm_ sorry. If only I'd let you go and never left that tower –"

Eugene cut me off gently. "Hey, hey, don't talk like that. This is where you belong, Goldie." My chest cavity felt ice-cold, and the organ inside it throbbed so bad that I just wanted to tear it out and smash it under a rock – and it only got worse when he continued.

"Rapunzel, I want you to forget…forget about me. I never deserved you anyways, and you deserve a really great life. I want you to marry a prince and have a bunch of kids and rule Corona as the best damn queen this world has ever seen. You hear me?"

Eugene's voice cracked on the endnote, indicating just how painful it was for him to tell me to let him go. I squeezed my eyes shut, my body aching and shaking with silent tears. I can't begin to explain the world-stopping pain I experienced in that cell with the love of my life telling me to forget.

"Rapunzel, _please_, he begged, clutching me to him as if it were the last time he'd ever see me – which, if I did as he said, it would be. "Promise that you'll do that, for me."

With a heartwrenching sob, I rubbed my trembling cheek against Eugene's chest, feeling the vibrations of his accelerated pulse. He held me close until I let out a muffled squeak:

"I promise."

From the way his tense muscles loosened, I could tell he felt a bit of relief and closure that I was going to move on with my life. Eugene tenderly stroked what was left of my hair until I pulled back. "I promise," I spluttered, gripping his shoulders, "but I won't forget. I won't stop loving you, Eugene Fitzherbert. I won't stop, for _every minute_ of the _rest_ of my_ life_."

I sniffled, my face probably shining with tears in the dim green light, feeling as if lightning had struck my heart and split it in two.

Eugene let a single tear slide down his cheek. "Me neither."


	11. Surreal

There was the sound of rattling keys behind Rapunzel and Eugene, and a voice just beyond the light of the lantern gruffly said, "Time to go."

Queen Josephine stepped into the light, her eyes brimming with tears at the scene unfolding before her – her daughter, who was an absolute mess, sat in the lap of a physically abused ex-criminal, the two embracing emotionally. "I'm sorry, dear," she choked in motherly pain. "But you need to have your poise lesson."

Rapunzel looked back at Eugene, muttering under her breath, "Curse those lessons…" She gripped his arms so tight her fingers burned, but Eugene still offered her a small smile, pushing her matted hair out of her face. "Hey," he whispered, shuddering at a cold draft. "It's all gonna be okay."

She pouted, and pushed her lips against his. For a few short moments, they completely ignored the guard and the Queen as they kissed passionately – the guard kind of just rolled his eyes in irritation, but Queen Josephine looked on with mourning in her glistening green eyes, thinking of how sad she'd be if King Harold were locked away for life.

Eugene was the one to pull away. He allowed Rapunzel to plant one more kiss on his lips and then one on his right cheek, before removing his hands from around her waist. The ex-con sat there in his heap of hay with a look of utter defeat as the love of his life stood, brushing straw from her pink skirt, and tearily backed away into her mother's arms. Before the guard locked the door tight, Rapunzel softly called, "I love you, Eugene."

Clutching his bruised side as the guard locked the cell door, Eugene leaned back against the freezing brick wall, letting its iciness ease his physical and emotional sores. "I love you too, Rapunzel," he mumbled, before laying back down in the stiff hay and falling into a deep and troubled sleep.

-x-

Rapunzel learned nothing in poise. It was far too late for lessons anyways…why did she have to have poise at all today? She hadn't gone to any of her other lessons. All she had to do, though, was let her professor lead her around the room with three books smashing down her spiky brown hair. The aspiring princess could not see the point of this any more than she could focus – her mind was back in that small, filthy cell with Eugene. Her heart was sorer than her eyes, which hurt from crying, and her eyes were sorer than her feet, which hurt from the heels her professor made her wear. What a crummy end to a crummy day.

When poise was over, she wandered through the castle, feeling dizzy. The whitewashed palace walls seemed endless and surreal as she wound through the glamorous labyrinth to her bedroom, feeling as dry and shriveled as a raisin. Her whimsical murals greeted her overbearingly when she opened the door to her bedroom, and Rapunzel staggered back, feeling over-stimulated.

The princess felt stinging cold on every inch of her body. Her feet, her nose, her ears, her hands – everything was freezing from either the chilly wind blowing through her open balcony doors, fluttering in her gauzy pink curtains, or from the day's icy heartbreak.

Rapunzel had all but forgotten about Pascal, and it made her jump when he appeared suddenly on the rim of the tub as she bathed. "Pascal!" she cried, smiling painfully. Shifting in her bubbly soup, she reached out her dainty hands for him, the warm water bringing back some of her color. Pascal squeaked as he climbed into her hand, and Rapunzel giggled as he crawled up her soapy bare arm and onto her shoulder.

"Oh, Pascal," she sighed, nuzzling the small chameleon into her neck. "I've missed you so much! Where were you all day?" He chirped in reply as Rapunzel stood, water sloshing all around her as she stepped out of the porcelain tub and onto a purple shag rug. "Oh, you made a new friend? That's great!" She tried to sound chipper, but still whispered under her breath, "At least _you_ had a nice day."

She set Pascal down on the marble sink countertop as she slipped into her nightgown, and he continued to "talk" with her as she brushed her teeth and hair (which was more than considerably easier now that it was about 70 feet shorter). "Of course I miss him, Pascal. But I did get to see him…well, he's in the prison." Cheep squeak as she put away her brush. "It's dirty and dark and he only gets a chamber pot and a bed of straw, but at least he's not going to be hung…well, they did hurt him pretty badly. When I'm queen, no guard is _ever_ going to treat a prisoner the way they treated Eugene, no matter what they did wrong…"

He whirred and clicked as Rapunzel set him back on her shoulder, putting on some slippers. "Well, I'm not sure what they did to him, but he was all covered in bruises and scrapes and dried blood." She sniffed as she crossed the room to her canopy bed. Rapunzel leaned against the mattress on her hands. "It was…it was terrifying."

She threw herself facedown into the bed, letting out a heartwrenching sob as Pascal flew onto the pillow next to her. "Oh, Pascal!" she wailed, gripping the comforters hard enough to tear them if she tried. "What am I going to _do?_"

Pascal could only sigh in condolence, and crawl up beside her, keeping the mourning princess company as she cried herself to sleep.


	12. Rapunzel's Worst Nightmare

Rapunzel awoke the next day to the bright light of early morning filtering through her curtains, feeling slightly refreshed. Pascal lay beside her; she crawled out of bed, careful not to wake him as she went to her immediate line of business: visiting Eugene.

She retraced the path her mother had taken to the prison ward, and made her way down the winding corridors of the jail to where Eugene's cell was housed, still clad in her flowing ivory nightgown. She'd naturally gotten some howls, whistles and curses, but seemingly immune, Rapunzel simply floated through the maze, intent on reaching Eugene. But when she found his cell, it was empty.

"Um, excuse me?" she tentatively asked a guard as he shoved a bowl of gruel at one of the inmates. "Do you know where Eu- I mean, Flynn Rider, is?"

The guard stepped back and locked the cell he'd been in with a look of confusion. "Your Majesty…I'd thought you of all people would've heard."

Rapunzel's heart dropped to the ice-cold stone floor. "Heard what?" she squeaked.

"The Court had a revote."

Her hopes soared, lifting her heart back into her chest where it belonged. "Really?" she peeped, playing with the tassels on the neck of her nightgown. However, the guard still looked befuddled and stony. "Flynn Rider was…scheduled to be hung. This afternoon." He checked his timepiece as Rapunzel's heart doubled back and fell through the floor this time.

"Actually, he should be dead in a couple of minutes."

The guard's bluntness hit Rapunzel like a baseball bat to the gut. She dizzily staggered back, seeing double as she put a ghostly hand to her throbbing forehead. She could feel veins popping out in anxiety.

The guard stepped towards her. "Your Majesty?" he asked, concerned for his princess's well-being. "Are you alright?"

What a stupid question. Of course she wasn't! Rapunzel pushed the guard out of her way and into the cell door, hardly hearing the clamor of his armor on the iron bars as she thundered down the hall. Her feet seemed to know exactly where they were going as she fled to the execution yard. Spotting Eugene on the other side, she gasped as the noose was placed around his neck, his wrists and ankles chained.

"EUGENE!" she screamed, running at him, but the fast Rapunzel ran, the further he seemed to get from her. The Captain of the Guard had his gloved hand poised and ready on the lever, a small smirk of triumph upon his mustached face. No one could see her; no one could hear her. She watched as she ran, faster than ever, as Eugene hung his head in shame.

The Captain pulled the lever.

"_EUGENE__!_"

-x-

Her scream sent Rapunzel jolting up in bed, covered in cold sweat, and startling Pascal awake as well. Taking in her surroundings, she realized that she was in her bedroom, not the execution yard.

But Eugene could be.

Without a word, she simply snatched up Pascal, who was trembling in worry, and threw back the covers. The chameleon squeaked in worry as she leapt off the bed. "We need to see Eugene," she answered, her tone fretful and alarming. "_Now._"

And with that, she raced off towards the prison.


	13. A Broken Promise

The guards at the prison's heavy doors didn't waste a second to open up for the somewhat-deranged princess, who hastened down the dark, labyrinthical halls towards her true love, a man in which she may or may not find. Without much trouble, she found his cell, but the guard standing watch at the end of the dank corridor was, in fact, slumped over in a chair, sleeping soundly, his snores resounding loudly throughout the passageway.

Rapunzel peered into the cell, and from what she could see through the dim light, there laid a body on the bed of hay, so she dared release the breath she'd been holding. Perhaps her nightmare would not come true.

She turned to the slouching watchman – a crummy one at that. SheRapunzel was certainly aware of the inefficiency of the Royal Guard Alliance, and that when she was queen, she'd better their training immensely. But for now, Eugene was her primary concern.

The princess poked the guard's cheek tentatively, unsure how to wake a sleeping man – on purpose, that is. She'd accidentally woken up Eugene plenty of times, but usually Pascal did her bidding as far as the waking up of men went. "Um, excuse me?"

Her voice, albeit just above a whisper, echoed eerily as it bounced off the graying adobe walls, crawling with mold and crumbling pavement. The guard woke to a start, grunting as he jerked up, "Huh? Wha?"

Rapunzel pointed a thin, pale finger at Eugene's cell, the soft lantern light making her skin glow ivory. "Let me in his cell, please," she demanded politely, one hand tapping her hip anxiously as the guard stumbled to his feet and tried keys on the cell door until it finally creaked open. She swept inside, her flowing nightgown brushing the cobblestone floor with a peaceful swishing sound. She knelt down beside her true love, and asked the guard kindly to give them their privacy. He obliged reluctantly, and when she heard the hall doors close, her gaze returned to the man that lay before her.

He was curled up in a ball, knees drawn close to his chest in a fetal position, using one arm as a pillow. He faced the wall; she could not see the upset upon his features. Rapunzel crouched next to him and laid her head on his arm gently, careful to mind his bruises. She caressed his bare shoulder and whispered in a sweet, melodious sing-song voice, "Eu-gene…wake up, sleepyhead. Blondie's here to visit."

The dilapidated man roused slightly, moaning and rolling onto his back, and Rapunzel sat up. He opened his eyes just a crack; they were sunken as they were sleepy, and it deterred her greatly to see him in such a state of defeat.

"Rapunzel?"

She smiled, her face cold. "Hi."

He sat up quickly, and then cringed in pain from the gash in his side. "Eugene, Eugene, it's okay," she assured him, clutching his arm to support him. "Easy." With the arm free of her grip, he rubbed his eyes, looking groggily around the room before looking at her and offering a weak smile. "Mornin', Princess," he rasped, as if nothing unusual were going on. He yawned before asking, "Get any sleep?"

Rapunzel snorted, ducking her head, and honestly answered, "No."

Eugene pulled her into his lap and cradled her against him for a moment. "Me neither." He continued to wrap his arms around her possessively until he remembered her promise…a promise that she was currently breaking.

"Hey, wait a second," he said slowly, pulling back a little from the embrace. This was certainly NOT moving on. "You know…you're kinda breaking a promise here." She gave a shy little smile and quipped, shrugging, "I know. But it's worth it." Then she rested her head back on his shoulder, and Eugene sighed. "What happened to never breaking a promise? Ever?" he added playfully.

He felt her grin against his shoulder. "Yeah, well, I thought a lot about what you said, and what I said, and I decided that so long as you're alive, I'm going to keep breaking that promise." She paused, hearing him sigh again, and added, "I love you too much to let you go."

"Rapunzel," he moaned, prying her arms from around him to look her in the eye, his bones chillingly cold, and not just from the lack of warmth in the cell. "You can't do that to yourself-"

The princess cut him off, crossing her arms smartly, newly aware of the power she held. "I can and I will," Rapunzel announced, her green eyes glinting in the muted light. He gave her a sad-sort-of smirk and brushed a stray hair out of her face. "Aw, c'mon, Punzie," he wheedled, trying a different approach. She defiantly shut her eyes and stuck her nose in the air. "Don't you 'Punzie' me. That's my word and I'm sticking to it."

Eugene sighed. There was no getting around this – he hadn't actually fought with Rapunzel yet, but in all their little tiffs and disagreements, he'd never won once. Still, this was a far more pressing matter than, for example, what color dress she looked best in. "Rapunzel, we both know that waiting for me is hopeless. Can't you just give up the-"

She stopped him again, silencing him with the raise of a hand. She let out a little gasp. "That's right," Rapunzel whispered, slowly turning to face him, and then climbing up to her feet and backing away, shaking a finger at him and grinning madly. "That's RIGHT! Waiting for you…is POINTLESS!" she shouted, throwing her hands in the air excitedly, her nightgown fluttering.

In any other case, he would've been glad she got the picture, but Eugene was positively perplexed by her actions. She looked like she'd just had some sort of miraculous epiphany.

Eyes bugged in concern, he began warningly as he stood, "Rapunzel…" but she simply seized him by the shoulders and gave him a quick, fervent kiss on the lips. "You are a genius, Eugene!" she squealed. "That's _it!_ You'll just have to wait for _me!_"

His eyebrows shot up – what in the name of Pete was she talking about? She let go of his shoulders and called over her own, "Thanks, Eugene!" and with that, the princess had her thin nightgown hiked up, and was once again madly dashing through the halls, past the guards and off to who-knows-where.

Eugene leaned back against the cell wall, a hand to his forehead, and he slumped down in frustration. "Women," he groaned good-naturedly. "I've yet to meet a man who understands 'em."


	14. Last Chance

Rapunzel practically exploded, the pure energy of true love sending her flying through the palace halls and to the castle library. She began to pull books from the shelf, scanning the first few pages or so, and then tossing it over her shoulder haphazardly, attracting quite a scene – the library, unlike many other parts of the castle, was mostly open to public access, and a nightgown-clad princess throwing books around like pillows wasn't something you saw every day.

For last week's lesson on Coronan Law, Rapunzel had been obligated to read through a thick book on the judicial system, bound in worn red silk with gold lettering. Ah, there it was! Rapunzel leapt from high on the ladder, ignoring the few gasps that came due to her rowdy and rambunctious behavior, and plopped down where she landed, her gauzy pajamas puddling around her.

Skipping the introduction, Rapunzel went straight to the table of contents. Crime classification? No…punishment systems? Maybe. Wait! There it was!

She frantically flipped through the ancient parchment, the air flow from fast page-turning whooshing the musty smell of the book into her face. She didn't mind, though; once Rapunzel had reached the chapter titled "Redemptions", a quick scan-through confirmed her theories, and nothing else mattered anymore.

The princess pulled the Coronan flag that Eugene had bought her – the first thing he'd ever given to her, besides the opportunity of a lifetime – out of her dress pocket (she always carried it, no matter where she went; of course, that's excluding the bath) and put it on the page to mark its place. She then slammed the book shut with a giddy grin, still receiving some odd looks, and heavy book in tow, Rapunzel raced back the way she'd come, taking off again to find her parents.

-x-

After much searching around, Rapunzel found the King and Queen in the sitting-room of their apartment reading. She'd burst in, kicking the swinging doors open since the book was heavy enough for her that it needed to be carried with both hands. Out of breath, she rasped to her surprised parents, "I know how to save Eugene!"

Rapunzel was like a pot boiling over, but her mother and father exchanged weary glances that went unnoticed by their excited daughter. Queen Josephine set her book down on the side table and gave a graceful sigh, clasping her hands together. "Rapunzel, dear," she soothed, coming closer, "I'm sorry, but your father and I told you; what's done is done. The trial-"

The princess cut in – now was not the time to be exemplary in her manners. Now was the time to save true love! "-needs to be reschedueled!" she interrupted, thrusting the massive mahogany volume at her mother and opening it to the marked page, and her hands shook with ecstasy at her findings. "I found some hard evidence that the Court's verdict was wrong. Look!"

By now, King Harold stood beside his wife, and he gently took the book from Rapunzel and turning it around to read the page she pointed out, brushing aside the flag. "'After full repentance, the convicted may or may not be relinquished of his/her records, depending upon the verdict arrived by the current King and the Royal Court of Corona'." The King looked up. "Rapunzel, dear, we know all this; they said-"

"Keep reading," she interrupted, crossing her arms determinedly. Her father couldn't suppress a small smile, and he returned to reading. "However, if he/she performs an outstanding deed of chivalry for a noble cause, his/her criminal records may be retracted, so long as they perform a two-year duty for the royal family. In the case which the convicted is a male, he shall serve as a knight or guard in the Royal Guard Alliance for a period of two years; in which case the convicted is a female, she shall serve as a housekeeper or handmaid for three years'."

Rapunzel bounced with excitement, her shorn brown locks bobbing. "So you see? Eugene brought me back to where I belong, and that's pretty chivalrous, don't you think? He can be a knight, or a guard! Or something! There's still hope…"

Her voice faded at the skeptical expressions on her parents' faces. With an anguished sigh, the princess tugged the book gently from her father's grasp, laying the purple flag over her shoulder. She hugged the volume to her chest, close to her heart. "_Please,_" she begged them, her voice cracking at the endnote. "This is my only chance of saving Eugene."

King Harold broke first. "Alright," he sighed doubtfully, taking his wife's hand. "We'll try it. I'll call the jury members back for another trial in three days. Now, I'm not making any promises-"

Rapunzel stopped her father by dropping the book and throwing her arms around him, laughing for what seemed like the first time in a while, her eyes filling up with happy tears. "Thank you, Papa!" she cried. He returned the embrace, and after that, Rapunzel kissed her mother and ran off again to tell Eugene the good news.

Queen Josephine laid her head on her husband's arm, stroking his large hand. "Oh, Harold," she whispered with motherly concern. "I hope this all works out."

He kissed the top of her head, right in front of her crown. "Me too, Phina," he sighed gustily, staring out the open door. "Me too."


	15. Waiting

For the second time that day, Rapunzel arrived at Eugene's cell door. "Eugene!" she squealed excitedly, gripping the bars of the cell door with eagerness as the guard unlocked it. She flung herself in at the man who had been pitifully braiding pieces of straw. The princess kneeled in front of him and grabbed his shoulders, her green eyes round and bright with hope.

"Guess what I found," Rapunzel mused in a sing-song tone, giggling a little madly. Eugene couldn't suppress a small smile, though he was a bit afraid to ask. "Erm…a new boyfriend?"

Her gentle features shot him a deadpan expression, conveying that she wasn't amused in the least bit. "No." The anxious, raucous ring to her voice returned. "I found…"

Rapunzel glanced around quickly, as if she were paranoid of eavesdroppers, and then squealed, grabbing his hands and meeting his amber gaze. Her white teeth shining in the dank cell, she enthused, "I found a way to get you out of here!"

Eugene's heart skipped a beat, and he tensed – she felt it against her hands. "What did you just say?" he whispered unbelievingly.

She giggled at his dumbfounded expression, and put on of her hands back on his shoulder, gently tickling his neck with her slender fingertips. "I found a way to get you out of here, Eugene."

He blinked, his face devoid of emotion. She was smiling, her pink lips upturned adorably in a way that lit up her whole soft face. Her hopeful gaze did not waver as she looked at him with love in her eyes; she truly believed it.

Eugene tightened his grip on her hand. "Look, Rapunzel," he said slowly, "My situation is pretty hopeless, so stop wasting your time and-"

"No!" she objected loudly, her voice reverberating off the dismal stone walls. He tried to continue, but all was for naught when the princess clapped a small hand over his mouth, her other lodged in his. "Wait for me, Eugene," Rapunzel whispered, her dark hair casting shadows over her porcelain face, her eyes serious and commanding. "Wait for me three days more. In three days, you'll understand."

Eugene could see the spunk and determination, lying just behind those eyes that seemed to stare him down into the depths of time, and he knew that she had a plan, though what it was he was not sure.

Her eyes flickered for a moment, and then she slowly drew her hand from his mouth, and left a kiss where her palm had been. Then, Rapunzel stood and smiled down at him in a way that summed up everything; nothing had to be said.

He would wait.

-x-

Three days later, Flynn Rider received his second trial – a blessing bestowed upon no criminal before in Coronan history. In fact, most criminals didn't get a trial at all.

But this was different.

The only changes from the first time around were minor ones: a disheveled, mutilated Eugene and a very irritated Head of Court. Senator Powell ran through his spiel much faster this time around, clearly not very happy. "We are gathered here today for the trial of Flynn Rider. Again," he muttered under his breath, icy blue eyes flashing beneath his spectacles, which he pushed up his nose importantly as he squinted at his papers, as if they were any different than before. He continued to mutter, "Charges are the same, plead is the same, blah blah blah…ah! So, Mr. Rider," he began to address Eugene in his forever-monotonous voice. "A new piece of evidence has been brought to our attention in behalf of your case, _forcing_" – he added special emphasis on the fact that he did not, by any means, want the princess's beau out of prison – "us to reconsider your verdict."

Eugene shot Rapunzel a quick glance, and she was positively glowing with excitement. She gave him a wink, and he offered a grateful smile to his love before turning his gaze back to the senator.

"The Book of Coronan Law and Justice states that if the condemned is in full repentance of his past actions, and provides an outstanding deed for the royal family following his repentance, he may be allowed to serve as a guard or knight in the Royal Guard Alliance without pay for a period of two years." Senator Powell looked up from his scrolls accusingly at Eugene. He felt he already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask, and was sure he would not like the response.

"Mr. Rider, due to the fact that you returned the Lost Princess to our kingdom, no vote on your part is required because of the nature of your deed, and therefore I ask you: would you prefer life in prison, or serve two years without pay in the Royal Guard Alliance?"

Eugene has to restrain himself from shouting "YES!" and pumping a fist into the air. He simply cleared his throat with a slight smile, shifting his feet with anticipation, and replied loud and clear, "I'll…take a position as a guard. Please." He felt like such a meek idiot…would they really let him off the hook like that, or was this just some sick bemusement for their princess?

He balled his fists in a spurt of rage. If it was, he'd have some ass to kick.

Senator Powell gave a curt, displeased nod, and returned to his seat, the sandy-haired spokesperson taking his place. He crossed the room to stand before the court, and opened his mouth to speak…


	16. Final Verdict

"The Royal Court of Corona hereby sentences Flynn Rider to serve two years in the Royal Guard Alliance, and from then on he may do as he pleases –" The spokesperson shot Eugene, a dumbfounded look on his face, an unprofessional glare. "– within law, that is," he sneered. "– as the _final_ final verdict. This court is adjourned."

The blonde spokesman tripped on the stairs when Rapunzel shot by him, knocking him over in her wake. She piercingly squealed her love's name in delight, not even noticing the comical manner in which the dignified spokesperson had landed on his face.

Right there in front of the Royal Court of Corona, as well as the King and Queen, Rapunzel managed to jump from the top of the stage to the defendant's platform, and right onto Eugene's shoulders. The princess wrapped her legs around his neck and arms around his head as he stumbled backwards.

"Whoa!" he laughed, stumbling backwards. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins at a mile a minute – he was _free!_ Sure, he'd have to spend some quality time with those sappy guards and their scum of a leader, but he'd get to spend the rest of his life with Rapunzel, the girl he loved, and _anything_ was worth that.

"Oh, Eugene, Eugene, _Eugene!_" She repeated his name over and over again as he brought his arms up over her legs in an awkward sort of hug. Rapunzel grinned like a mad hatter, pressing her warm cheek to the top of his head as happy tears flowed down her face. If his relief hadn't been able to block out all of his senses, he'd have been in a world of pain – she was pressing hard against a few of his wounds, but he didn't care. Momentary pain was nothing, for he had the ultimate remedy: true love.

After a moment, Eugene helped her down, but only so far as his arms. He cradled her like a baby, staring down at her affectionately as the room bustled around them; representatives shuffled their papers and packed up to leave. Their reunion moment was interrupted by the approach of Senator Powell, who came with his arms full of papers and a displeased look on his face.

"Congratulations, Mr. Rider," he spat, his voice raucous and strained. "I'm sure this isn't the last we'll be seeing of one another."

Eugene's smile faded. "Okay…"

The senator grinned smarmily, hugging his papers tighter. "Goodbye, Mr. Rider. Princess," he added as a side note, offering Rapunzel a curt nod. She and Eugene shared a suspicious glance, but shrugged off the man's strange actions quickly. He carried her out of the room, smiling proudly, and she whispered over the crowd, "I love you, Eugene. I love you more than anything…"

He looked down at her as they exited the room, his face tingling with warmth. "I love you more."

Now unafraid to finish the verse, she replied, "I love you most." His grin widened, and he carried her upstairs so that he could take another look at her mural, because finally, it was possible – at what seemed like long last, they had the promise of forever.

-x-

That night, Rapunzel broke the rules again.

She knew quite well that she wasn't supposed to be in Eugene's room in the hours between 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., but for the first time, she spent the _entire_ night in there.

After her bath, the princess tiptoed down the stairs in her nightgown, and gave a quick, soft knock on Eugene's door, and he opened it after a moment, closing it gingerly behind her.

"Hey, Blondie? You know, uh, you're not supposed to be in here…" He held a razor in one hand, and the other was covered in shaving cream, as well as most of his face. He had to hold back from chuckling at her humorous expression: her green eyes were wide and glistening in the dark, as her hands were clapped over her mouth to suppress her laughter.

"What?"

She giggled, "You look like…an old man!"

He let out a defeated snicker. "Alright. Just let me finish up, and then we can talk." He headed back into the washroom to finish shaving (they hadn't let him shave in prison, so he was quite scruffy) while Rapunzel crossed the room to his bed.

With a flop, she landed on the sea-foam covers, her dark, dripping locks bouncing and sprinkling the sheets with a miniature rain shower. She frowned, wondering where Pascal was…she hadn't seen him all day. When Eugene came out of the water closet, wiping his face with a towel, Rapunzel asked, "Have you seen Pascal anywhere?"

He shot her a look, one eyebrow raised. If you haven't noticed, Blondie, I've kind of been in prison for a week or so…" he mused. She nervously tucked back a damp strand of hair, a wet mark leaving its trail on her cheek. "I know," she said defensively. "I mean, today. When we were up in my room painting, or after that."

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her perturbed expression betraying her thoughts. He crossed the room towards her, tossing the towel on an armchair. "Uh, no. I don't think so."

Rapunzel continued to frown and fretted, "You don't think he's hurt, do you?" She hadn't spent a day without Pascal in years – his sudden elusiveness was perplexing. "Naw," he replied, sitting down next to the princess and putting his arm around her. "He seems like a tough little guy – he probably just found another frog to hang out with." His words of comfort brought a reassured smile to her face. "You probably right," she agreed, adding, "but Pascal's a _chameleon…_"

Eugene held his hands up in defense. "Alright, chameleon. Sorry." He then playfully tapped the end of her nose. "I'm tellin' you, Goldie, those nuances are killing me." Rapunzel laughed, and gently pushed her lips against his. "I love you, you know," she murmured, her soft mouth pressed into the corner of his lips. "Every minute you were in prison, I wondered what I was going to do without you…"

He shushed her, and whispered, "Hey, hey, let's not talk about it, okay? Let's just pretend it never happened. Think about Pascal instead," he suggested, pulling her into his chest and stroking her choppy chocolate hair. "Where do you think he could be?"

It clearly troubled her that she didn't know where he was – for the longest time, they'd been inseparable, other than when Mother Gothel was around…she hated anything with scales. "I don't know," she sighed. "I can't think of anywhere he might've gone…" Her voice trailed off, her green eyes scanning the room as she laid her head on Eugene's chest, as if she might catch glimpse of a chameleon in the apartment beyond.

Suddenly, Rapunzel piped up, "I rescued him, you know. He was just an itty-bitty baby, alone in the cold of the windowsill…he was an orphan. Just like you, Eugene!"

With a good-natured moan, poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert rolled his eyes and played with the ties on the back of the princess's nightgown. "Continue the story, please," he groaned. Rapunzel snickered, swatting his hands away from her back before he could untie the ribbons. "Silly," she mused before resuming her tale. "I raised him like a mother, and he taught me to understand Chameleon, and we've been best friends ever since."

Eugene smiled. "Well, not like he had a choice." Rapunzel shifted in his lap, confused, and frowned. Before she could ask what he meant, he said, "Who wouldn't want to be best friends with you?"

Rapunzel blushed, her gauzy nightgown illuminating the rosy glow across her face, and shyly tried to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. When the short sprig wouldn't stay back for her, Eugene gave it a whirl, reaching out and tentatively pushing it back. His hand lingered on her warm, soft cheek, and she did not feel its coarseness from years of wear and tear and batterment from prison abuse – she felt velvet, and leaned into his palm and closed her eyes dreamily with a smile, slipping her hand over his.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Eugene." He caressed her cheek with his thumb, grinning like a love-struck idiot. "I am pretty great, aren't I?" She snorted and opened her eyes, shining brightly in the candlelight, and slowly touched his lips again in a chaste kiss. "Yep," she agreed perkily. "Now, speaking of great, why don't you tell me one of those Flynnegan Rider stories…?"

He chuckled, rolling over to dig in his bedside table as Rapunzel slid off his lap. Eugene pulled out the weathered pine-green copy of the book he cherished as a child – he'd found it in a used book store the week of Rapunzel's homecoming. Opening the worn story with a smile, Rapunzel leaned her head on his shoulder, grasping his arm and giggling as he put on a pair of reading-glasses…she was still getting used to the round spectacles he had to wear to see up-close. He shot her a smirk and began to read, "Once upon a time, there lived a great hero named Flynnegan Rider…"

And on his own whim, Eugene added, "…who had to wear glasses to read, too."


	17. Back to the Daily Grind

King Harold were just as relieved (well, maybe not quite as much) as Rapunzel was that Eugene was free. However, there was still a lot of work to be done for the happy couple to be next in line for the Coronan throne.

At 5:30 a.m. sharp, Eugene's knight training commenced, as well as Rapunzel's dance lessons - of course, no one wants to be involved in physically demanding classes at such an ungodly hour, but it served as a good wake-up call for the aspiring royalty.

Following that was a much-deserved hot breakfast with the King and Queen, and afterwards they both headed off to etiquette lessons - a field in which neither were very experienced in. It was quickly discovered that Rapunzel had no need for lessons on the maidenly arts nor mathematics and astronomy, since she had mastered those in her free time in the tower - so she moved on to learning about her family tree whilst Eugene, only somewhat-proficiently educated in stars and numbers, took a lesson on mathematics and astronomy.

Then there was a teatime brunch in the Great Hall for Rapunzel to attend with her mother, where she would get to socialize with other noblewomen of Corona. Eugene, on the other hand, followed the King to various council meetings, where he was usually seen and not heard and often drifted off due to lack of stimulating conversation. Next, they were together again for the grueling class on Coronan Law and Justice, which a pleasant lunch and extra two hours of free time afterwards put to shame. For their free time, Rapunzel and Eugene usually roamed the kingdom or palace gardens, or painted murals on the walls of the castle.

The twosome then headed off for language skill lessons, Coronan Trade and Commerce, Coronan History, and an hour-long study hall in the library, which they usually spent pretending to read while holding hands underneath the table. The last, and by far seemingly-longest, lesson of the day was Poise, ending at 5:30 - exactly twelve hours from the start of their first class. Oh, how they hated that class...Eugene only had to take it because of his slouch while sitting, which was not very becoming of the Prince Consort of Corona - Rapunzel needed it all the way around.

Lady Snidley, their instructor, was a tall, thin woman with tight lips, as if she were always sucking on a lemon, and carried her trusty yardstick with her always. She often had Eugene and Rapunzel follow her around the Grand Ballroom with three books apiece atop their heads.

Every time Eugene's books would fall to the floor, with a loud and ungraceful _thunk_, she would sigh, "Mr. Fitzherbert, is it _so_ impossible for you to carry a simple three volumes?" Rapunzel would fail at suppressing a giggle, Lady Snidley would give her a sharp look, and the royals-in-training would go back to concentrating on their balance - and so it went, a constant cycle of pure monotony.

At 6:00 was dinnertime, which increasingly often became quite a spectacle, held in the Great Hall with many noble guests and countless varieties of food. Rapunzel and Eugene nearly always supped quickly so as to go out onto the main terrace to watch the sunset together, the definite highlight of their busy days.

"Oh, isn't it magical, Eugene?" Rapunzel would sigh dreamily at the sparkling water, and the tawny sky dappled with bits of primrose and scarlet and ultramarine. "Yeah," Eugene would admit a bit breathlessly, "but not as magical as you."

She'd laugh and give him a gentle kiss on the cheek, and as the last light of day faded off and the first star appeared on the horizon, they'd go inside to wash up and change into their nightclothes. Eugene would come into Rapunzel's room to give her a kiss and say goodnight to Pascal (who, as it turned out, had just been going on a few adventures of his own*). Then they would snuggle down in their seperate beds, blow out the candles, and look forward to another day spent in each other's company and therefore the next best day ever.


End file.
